LAC stable but sensitive: Lt Gen Dwivedi

Srinagar, Jan 14: Stating that the northern border was stable but not normal, Northern Army Commander, Lieutenant General Upendra Dwivedi Sunday said that robust actions were being taken by the security forces to eradicate terrorism in the Pir Panjal region.

“There was prosperity in the twin districts of Rajouri and Poonch and the living standard was getting better with the increasing investment and job opportunities to the people,” Lt Gen Dwivedi told a selected group at a function held in connection with the Armed Forces Veterans’ Day at Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry Regimental Centre here at Rangreth. “But our neighbouring country could not digest peace and prosperity.”

“They increased the presence of terrorists in these districts,” he said. “We are taking robust action against it. In the coming days, there will be control over it.”

The Army Commander said that there was a dire need for coordination between the local population, Police, and military to overcome the past deficiencies in the twin districts of Poonch and Rajouri.

“The number of police stations is being increased while we are carrying out some reorientation as well. This will help us in controlling the situation,” he said.

Declaring 2023 as a “zero-infiltration year”, Lt Gen Dwivedi highlighted the successful prevention of terrorists crossing the Line of Control (LoC).

While acknowledging the presence of terrorists, he emphasised the proactive measures taken including the killing of 21 local and 55 foreign terrorists the previous year.

“In 2023, terrorist recruitments decreased significantly compared to the previous year,” the Army Commander said.

He credited measures taken against the foreign terrorists for the decline in local recruitment, from 121 in 2022 to 19 in 2023, and affirmed the continuation of such efforts in 2024.

Regarding the situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Ladakh region bordering China, Lt Gen Dwivedi said that the northern border was stable but “not normal”.

“Five of the seven friction points in eastern Ladakh, where the Indian Army and the Chinese PLA are locked in a standoff since May 2020, have been resolved and talks are underway for the remaining areas,” he said. “The northern border area is stable but it is not normal or I can say it's sensitive.”

At the event marking the 8th Armed Forces Veterans Day, Lt Gen Dwivedi felicitated the veterans saying that they had devoted their lives to the service of the nation.

Addressing the rally, the Army Commander encouraged the veterans to leverage the presence of the ECHS, Record Office, and AWPO teams to address their concerns.

He highlighted various welfare initiatives under Sadhbhavana, including infrastructure development, medical care, women and youth empowerment, educational tourism, sports tournaments and selected sponsorship to youth for degree courses and school education under AWES.

He highlighted that the Indian Army and the government had been pursuing the issue of jobs for the veterans under various schemes.

The Indian Armed Forces Veterans Day, celebrated annually on January 14 pays homage to the exceptional services of Field Marshal K M Cariappa, the First Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Armed Forces.

The two-day veterans rally in Kashmir included a poignant candlelit wreath-laying ceremony at the Chinar War Memorial, where veterans and serving soldiers came together to commemorate and remember the soldiers killed in the line of duty.