Adversaries encouraging proxy wars as peace is coming in Kashmir valley: Army Chief

NEW DELHI: Ahead of Army Day on January 15, Chief of Army Staff, General Manoj Pande said on Thursday that the situation and terrorist activities in Rajouri and Poonch in the last 5-6 months have been an issue of concern and since peace is coming in the valley, our adversaries are encouraging proxy wars in the area.

“The situation and terrorist activities in Rajouri and Poonch in the last 5-6 months have been an issue of concern to us. By 2003, terrorism in this area was fully disseminated and peace was established there until 2017-18. Because peace is coming in the valley, our adversaries are encouraging proxy wars in the area. The Pakistan Army is trying to aggregate terrorism in the Rajouri-Poonch area”, said CoAS General Manoj Pande, speaking at the annual press conference ahead of Army Day on January 15.

#WATCH | Delhi: COAS General Manoj Pande says, "…The situation and terrorist activities in Rajouri and Poonch in the last 5-6 months have been an issue of concern to us. By 2003, terrorism in this area was fully disseminated and peace was established there till 2017-18. Because… pic.twitter.com/51qKjri54p

— ANI (@ANI) January 11, 2024

“As far as the situation in J&K is concerned, the ceasefire understanding along the LoC continues to hold. Even though we see infiltration attempts, which we have been able to thwart… We have a strong anti-drone mechanism in place to stop the use of drones to smuggle weapons and narcotics…. The area of Rajouri Poonch has seen increased terrorist activities. Support infrastructure for proxy tandems in the Rajouri Poonch sector from across the border continues…” General Manoj Pande added.

The Chief of Army Staff also said on Thursday that the security situation on the northern border is stable, but sensitive. “The situation on the Northern border is stable but sensitive. We continue to talk to find a solution to address and balance issues between the two sides. Operational preparedness is very high, and deployment is both robust and balanced”, General Manoj Pande said.

#WATCH | Delhi: COAS General Manoj Pande says, "…Currently, our attempt is to continue talks (with China) to go back to the status quo ante which existed in the middle of 2020. Once that happens, then we can go back to look back at larger issues. Till the time, we will continue… pic.twitter.com/4wqf2vZMiE

— ANI (@ANI) January 11, 2024

The Indian Army signed contracts worth Rs 12,000 crore with private Indian firms. And we have major projects like light tanks and future-ready combat vehicles, said General Manoj Pande.

He also spoke on Indo-Myanmar border security. “The situation at the Indo-Myanmar border is of concern to us. You are aware of the activities of the Myanmar army, the ethnic armed organization and the PDF in the past couple of months, which has resulted in some of the Myanmar army personnel walking across about 416 of them to date”, he said.

“Also, some of the civilians from Bhutan are taking shelter both in Mizoram and Manipur. But what is of concern is that, because of the situation across the Indo-Myanmar border, we also have some of the insurgent groups who are feeling the pressure and who have now attempted to come onto our side of the border in the state of Manipur. That, combined with the situation in Manipur, is something we are keeping a close watch on. We have close to 20 Assam Rifle Battalions, which are deployed at the Indo-Myanmar border. There is also a talk of further strengthening our fence along the border…” said the Chief of Army Staff.

“With Bhutan, we have a unique bilateral relationship with mural trust and it transcends into the military domain as well. India and Bhutan share mutual security concerns, of which we are aware. We are closely monitoring the military talks and we are communicating with Bhutan,” General Pande said.

#WATCH | Delhi: COAS General Manoj Pande says, "…If you look at our deployment in Manipur, it is to help the civil administration. The Assam Rifles and all our units have displayed a lot of restraint. Sometimes when there is a provocation, no collateral damage, no casualties to… pic.twitter.com/qLJ7SyJrPG

— ANI (@ANI) January 11, 2024

General Manoj Pande also highlighted that disruptive technologies have become the new arena of strategic competition. “National interests remain paramount and the relevance of hard powers has been established… Disruptive technologies have become the new arena of strategic competition”, said General Manoj Pande.

He also affirmed that security forces are fully aligned to ensure a stable and secure environment for nation. “…Our nation is on the rise firmly on the path of progress in the economic sphere. We are fully aligned to ensure a stable and secure environment, both internal and external, to help our country progress…”

General Manoj Pande also said that the Army has inducted better vehicles, drones and counter-drone systems. “As part of emergency provisions, we have been able to induct some new technologies and address domains of warfare. We have inducted better vehicles, drones and counter-drone systems. We have terrain-specific electronic warfare systems”, he said.

“We have restructured our artillery unit. We also have restructured units of electronic warfare and electronic intelligence. We have started the process of reducing animals in our animal transport units and they are being replaced by drones…We have made a plan and optimise our strength by significant numbers and by 2027 we will achieve an optimisation of 1 lakh numbers. We have given the proposal to the government”, he added.

Speaking about Agniveers recruitment General Manoj Pande said, “The first two batches of Agniveers are now fully deployed in field units and the feedback is very exciting and positive… 120 women officers who have been given permanent commission and are in command roles are deployed in field areas, and they are doing a good job there”.

“…We also have moved from the current conduct of our competitive and promotion exams to fully online mode and by the end of this year, all our promotion exams will be held entirely online…” CoAS General Manoj Pande concluded. (ANI)