Have a range of options available to take on Pak in case of any misadventure: Army Commander

Majid Jahangir
Tribune News Service
Srinagar, January 10

Indian Army said on Thursday apart from the surgical strikes they have a range of options available to take on Pakistan in case of “any misadventure”.

Northern Army commander Lt General Ranbir Singh, who announced the September 2016 surgical strikes in Pakistan, said Pakistani Army has been initiating the ceasefire with a view to facilitate the infiltrators to cross the Line of Control.

“It is to the credit of all the troops deployed on the LoC that we have been able to keep enemy under tremendous pressure while they might initiate a small action to support the infiltrators, however, they are given deterrent punishment so that they should avoid such misadventure in future. However it has carried on,” Lt General Singh said on the sidelines of a winter youth festival at the tourist resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir.

When asked about the need for another surgical strike as the ceasefire violations were continuing, the Northern Army commander said they had a range of options.

 “And depending on the situation and depending on what effect we desire, we decide what option to exercise,” he said

On the upcoming elections in J&K, the Commander said that Pakistan will continue to put pressure on the security forces.

“We are all aware there are going to be elections which will take place in 2019 and there will be activities of adversary who will continue to put pressure as far as infiltration and radicalization in the valley is concerned but the armed forces are prepared to take any challenge that could rise anytime,” he said.

He said that social media has been an issue of concern for past some time and various measures are being taken at various levels to counter the narrative of Pakistan.

Lt General Singh said in the last four to five months there has been a “relative decline in number of youth who joined ranks of militancy.”

“It is because of the result of sustained effort of the government and the security forces that we have been able to prevail upon teachers, parents and the elderly so that they should wean away their children from joining this menace of militancy,” he said. “The adversary has been using the social media with a view to radicalize the youth and give them false feeling that possibly they will be able to get Azadi in the manner the adversary feels.”