Northern Army Commander Lt General Upendra Dwivedi on Tuesday said that the Indian Army is ready to execute orders like taking back Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
"As far as the Indian Army is concerned, it will carry out any order given by the Government of India. Whenever such orders are given, we will always be ready for it," said Lt Gen Upendra Dwivedi, Northern Army Commander, on Defence Minister Rajnath Singh's statement of taking back PoK.
"The military is always ready to make sure that ceasefire understanding is never broken as it is in the interest of both nations, but if broken at any time, we will give them a befitting reply," said Dwivedi, Northern Army Commander on the ceasefire agreement between India and Pakistan.
"The country has over 50 per cent of people below the age of 25. If we take them in as Agniveers, teach them and send them back, we will absorb some, others by paramilitary, and police forces and the remaining can be self-employed," he stated.
Addressing an infantry day function in Srinagar on October 27, the defence minister had said people of PoK are subjected to human rights violations and Pakistan has to pay a price for it. He said the Indian government is committed to implementing the 1994 resolution passed in the Parliament about retrieving the part of Kashmir “under illegal occupation of Pakistan”.
Terrorists active along Loc
The top Army commander today also said around 300 terrorists are present in Jammu and Kashmir, while 160 others are waiting on the launch pads for an opportunity to sneak into this side from across the Line of Control (LoC) in Pakistan.
However, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Northern Command, Lieutenant General Upendra Dwivedi said the security situation in the Union territory has undergone a major change after the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019 and terrorist activities have been controlled to a large extent.
"Around 300 terrorists are present in length and breadth of Jammu and Kashmir but we are making sure they are not able to carry out any action," the army commander told reporters on the sidelines of the platinum jubilee of historic 'Poonch Link-up Day' in Jammu.
The platinum jubilee of Poonch Link-Up Day, marking 'Operation Easy' conducted by the Indian Army in 1948 to defend the border district from the Pakistani raiders, was celebrated with traditional gaiety and fervour by the people of Poonch and the Army.
Asked about the number of terrorists present on the launch pads in Pakistan, Lt Gen Dwivedi said around 160 terrorists are present across the Line of Control -- 130 north of Pir Panchal (Kashmir valley) and 30 south of Pir Panchal.
"As per our data, 82 Pakistani terrorists and 53 local terrorists are active in the hinterland, while the area of concern is the criminal activities of 170 others who are not identified," he said.
Referring to Pakistan, he said when nothing was achieved by sending big weapons and raising the Kashmir issue at the UN, OIC (Organisation of Islamic Cooperation) and with other countries, they went for such type of actions like targeting innocents and sending small weapons and drugs.
"Drugs worth Rs 45 lakh were seized in Baramulla (north Kashmir) along with other weapons and grenades. Likewise, in other border areas, huge caches of drugs are being seized. Terrorists are being killed but they say you are killing smugglers, which means they admit that they are sending drugs. It is very wrong on part of Pakistan," he said.
(With inputs from agencies)
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