Northern Army Commander Lt Gen Ranbir Singh reviewed the preparedness of the Army in Kashmir amid desperate efforts by Pakistan to push militants into the valley and disturb the calm.
The chief of Army’s Northern Command was accompanied by Chinar Corps Commander Lt Gen KJS Dhillon. Both of them visited formations in North Kashmir deployed along the Line of Control and the hinterland.
In view of the Friday’s congregational prayers, Fresh restrictions were imposed in parts of Srinagar on Friday to maintain law and order. The stalemate in the valley continues after the abrogation of Article 370, which entered its 40th day with schools closed and public transport off the roads, officials said.
According to the officials, Lt Gen Singh was briefed about the recent counter-infiltration and counter-terrorist operations as well as the overall security situation by respective commanders on ground.
The Army Commander complimented the commanders and troops for their round-the-clock vigil on the Line of Control and the humanitarian assistance being provided to the people of Kashmir.
Earlier, Army Chief General Bipin Rawat himself took stock of the situation on Thursday and warned Pakistan saying Indian troops are ready to retrieve Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) that has been under illegal occupation of India’s troublesome neighbour.
Gen Rawat said, “The next agenda is retrieving PoK and making it a part of India. The government takes actions in such matters. The institutions of the country will work as per the orders of the government. The Army is always ready.”
Recently alarms were sounded after 40 terrorists were said to have infiltrated into the valley from the Pakistani side. There are reports of Pakistan activating seven of its launchpads to push more terrorists into India.
The valley is still under lockdown with thousands of security forces being deployed to prevent any protests or clashes over the Centre’s decision to end special status to Jammu and Kashmir.