India-China Border Stability; J&K Faces Sensitivity and Militancy Challenges

Srinagar: As India and China recently reaffirmed to resolve remaining issues along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh expeditiously, a top general of the Indian Army on Sunday said the 489-km border is “stable”, but “not normal”.

He also said that Pakistan was trying to foment trouble in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri-Poonch region, but that the Army, along with other uniformed forces, had started acting against the militants and terrorists backed by the neighbouring country.

“The northern border area is stable, but it is not normal, or I can say it’s sensitive,” Lt. Gen. Upendra Dwivedi, GOC-in-C of Northern Command, who is on a visit to the Kashmir Valley, told reporters here.

In the backdrop of the surge in the militants’ activities in the twin border districts of Rajouri and Poonch, the Army commander said: “The area witnessed prosperity in the last few years… investment was coming, and its youth were being provided with employment. The neighbouring country apparently could not digest the peace and prosperity and so it is promoting terrorism in the area.” He, however, also said: “We have started to take strong action in this regard, and you will see in the coming days that we have had control over the situation.”

Stressing the need for complete synergy between the various uniformed forces and the public to fight militancy more proficiently, the Army commander said: “There is a need for better coordination among the Army, the police and local people. The number of police stations (in Rajouri-Poonch) is being increased while we are carrying out some reorientation as well. This will help us in controlling the situation.”

At the weekend, Lt. Gen. Dwivedi had along with the chief of Srinagar-based Chinar Corps visited forward battalions in the Machil sector of the Line of Control (LoC) in Kupwara district “in the relentless pursuit of operational excellence and to review the counter- infiltration grid”, defence spokesman Lt. Col. M.K. Sahu said here. He added: “The Army commander interacted with the troops and personnel of the Rashtriya Rifles, the J&K police, the Border Security Force and Border Roads Organisation, and commended them for their persistent vigilance and compelling contribution to maintaining lasting peace in the region”.

Lt. Gen. Dwivedi said: “We have declared 2023 as a zero-infiltration year, which means there was no infiltration from the LoC in 2023. If you see, among the terrorists that have been killed, only 21 were locals whereas 55 were foreign terrorists.”

He said that 122 J&K youth had picked up arms in 2022, whereas the number came down to just 19 in 2023. “We will continue to ensure that local terrorist recruitment is plugged. We are ensuring that we further strengthen the synergy among the various security agencies. We are acting against all the terrorists who are there”, he added.