Pak involved in K-crisis: Army

Majid Jahangir

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, July 26

As the Valley continues to remain on the boil, Northern Command chief Lt Gen DS Hooda today said Pakistan had a “direct role in whatever was happening in Kashmir”.

“There is no doubt in our mind that Pakistan has been sort of interfering in Kashmir and has a direct role in what we are calling the proxy war in Kashmir. We are seeing it every day along the border. We are seeing it from the manner in which support is being given to infiltrating groups. We have seen how sometimes ceasefire violations along the Line of Control are actually in support of people who are infiltrating inside,” the Northern Command chief told reporters at Drass on Kargil Vijay Diwas today.

He said Pakistan takes direct advantage of the “internal disturbances” in Kashmir like the ongoing unrest erupted after the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani.

“If there is an internal disturbance, Pakistan will directly take advantage of it. You have heard statements by the Hizbul Mujahideen and the Lashkar-e-Toiba that they are supporting whatever is happening in Kashmir. The support is not only moral but it is absolutely physical and there is no doubt about that in our minds,” Lt General Hooda said.

As the demand for the ban of pellet guns increases, the Northern Command chief said it was “better than using firearms or weapons” for mob control.

“There is a requirement of non-lethal weaponry and pellet guns are classified as part of the non-lethal weaponry. Unfortunately, they have caused some casualties. It’s still a better form than using firearms or weapons. There is much better non-lethal weaponry available around the world,” he said. “The government is looking at even more non-lethal options to control a mob. The Home Minister has said that they are going to explore whether we can get some better and more modern non-lethal weaponry,” the Army officer added.

The Northern Command chief said the police and the CRPF were handling the law and order situation and they were exercising restraint to handle the unrest in the region.

“…the Army is not at the forefront of tackling the civil disturbance. It’s more of the police and the CRPF which is doing it. They are doing it with utmost restraint. We are there on the ground, we are seeing it happening. The police have been dealing with the situation for the last 20-25 years and they know exactly what is to be done. They know that restraint is to be exercised and that is exactly what they are doing,” Lt Gen Hooda added.

He, however, said unfortunately one gets into a situation where one is “forced to adopt other measures”.

“When police stations are being looted, there is a murderous mob attacking you, weapons are being looted, your own lives are in danger, it’s only in those situations that the police are forced to take some more strict measures,” he said.