Indian Army Chief General Bipin Rawat says it's adversary's wish to activate LoC, adds his troops are prepared

Chief of Army Staff General Bipin Rawat has once again warned Pakistan and expressed confidence that the forces are ever vigilant and always prepared to deal with any situation. Reacting to the scrapping of Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir and the current deployment of forces in the state, General Rawat on Tuesday pointed out that precautionary deployment of troops is undertaken by everyone and there is no cause for concern.

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"If our adversary wishes to activate the LoC (Line of Control), then it is his choice. Everybody does some precautionary deployment. We should not be too concerned about it. As far as the Army and other forces are concerned, we have to be always prepared," said the Indian Army Chief.

He referred to the peaceful situation in Jammu and Kashmir in the 1970s and 80s while wishing that the atmosphere returns to normal soon. "The Army was deployed in Kashmir valley even in the 1970s and 80s when we had extremely cordial relations with the people of the region. We used to meet and greet each other without arms and it will be great if such a cordial situation is back again," he said.

General Rawat's comments come just a day after Eid-al-Adha was celebrated peacefully across the state which lost its special status on August 6, 2019, after President Ram Nath Kovind signed the Article 370 gazette. The security apparatus in the state has been on high alert to tackle the threat of Pakistan-sponsored terrorism in the wake of scrapping of Article 370 and 35A.

The Northern Army Commander Lieutenant General Ranbir Singh had also reviewed the security situation in Kashmir Valley on Monday. The officer had met troops deployed in North as well as South Kashmir where he asked them to maintain vigil and also help the local population and civil authorities to ensure the well-being of the people.