Another surgical strike needed, says Army Chief Gen Bipin Rawat

Gen Rawat also backed the Centre's move to cancel talks with Pakistan.

New Delhi: Army Chief General Bipin Rawat on Monday said that there was a need for another surgical strike on terror launch pads across the Line of Control in view of the current situation in Jammu and Kashmir.

Army Chief made these remarks while responding to a question on whether there is a need for one more surgical strike. 

"I believe there is a need for one more action (surgical strike). But I would not want to disclose how we want to do it," Gen Rawat said.

The Army Chief made these remarks in an interview to India Today news channel on Monday.

Interestingly, Gen Rawat had on Sunday said that surgical strike is a weapon of surprise and must remain so while hinting that the security forces will respond when the appropriate time comes.

''Surgical strike is a weapon of surprise. Let it remain a surprise,'' General Rawat had said.

The Army had conducted a massive surgical strike on terror launch pads across the Line of Control on September 29, two years ago.

Rawat also backed the Narendra Modi government's decision to cancel talks with Pakistan, asserting that talks and terror cannot go together.

"The government's policy is very clear cut... You (Pakistan) show us some initiatives so that we feel that you are not encouraging terrorism. But we see that terror activities are continuing and terrorists come from the other side of the border. In such an atmosphere, whether talks can be initiated that the government can only decide. I agree with the government's decision that peace talks and terrorism cannot go together," he said.

The Army Chief was reacting to the government's decision to call off the Foreign Minister-level talks with Pakistan on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York.

The Centre had on Friday called off a meeting between the Foreign Ministers of India and Pakistan in New York, citing the brutal killings of three policemen in Jammu and Kashmir and Islamabad releasing postage stamps "glorifying" Kashmiri terrorist Burhan Wani.

Rawat also said infiltration from across the border persists despite the call for a ceasefire by Pakistan and stressed that this cannot be allowed to continue and appropriate action has to be taken to deter terrorists from disrupting the peace in the Kashmir Valley. 

''Infiltration from across the border persists despite the call for a ceasefire by Pakistan,'' said Rawat stressing that ''this cannot be allowed to continue''.

''They have been carrying out barbaric acts and Pakistan Army is used to doing this. It is not the first time that they have done it,'' the Army Chief said.

Last week, a BSF soldier was shot dead and his body was found mutilated.