'Situation in Kashmir Peaceful, Valley On Cusp Of New Beginnings': Lt Gen Rajiv Ghai

Outgoing GOC of the Srinagar-based 15 Corps, Lieutenant General Rajiv Ghai addresses a press conference, in Srinagar on Thursday. (ANI Photo)

General Officer Commanding (GoC) of the Army's Srinagar-based 15 Corps Lieutenant General Rajiv Ghai on Thursday said that the situation in Jammu and Kashmir is peaceful and several programs have been initiated to ensure that the armed forces are always with the people of the valley. 

While interacting with the mediapersons on Thursday, Ghai said that the region is on the cusp of a new beginning and numerous things, including development, are soon coming to the region. 

“The situation in the valley is peaceful. We have initiated numerous programs to make sure that we are always with the people of Kashmir. The region is on the cusp of a new beginning. We have seen numerous things, including development coming to the region. It’s been done as there is a stable security situation. But we must maintain this situation, and we need few more good years for a lasting peace in Kashmir,” he said.

GoC Ghai said that there has been no active recruitment in the last one and a half years. “We haven’t had any active recruitment in the last one and a half years. The numbers were down to a dozen last year, and this year it is next to zero,” he said.

Ghai said that the valley remained peaceful by and large, barring some terror incidents. "Few incidents were reported where soft targets were made by an untrained person using a pistol,” he said.

The GoC further stated, “The official figure of active terrorists is at around 80. We are working and hope very soon these numbers will go more down.”

He further stated, “The foreign terrorists could be 25 to 40 in the region. The counter terrorists' grid has been put in place, and it will be successful soon. Some terrorists do change locations from one area to another. Sometimes they come from Jammu region to Kashmir division, but we do keep getting information about the change of location and keep watch on them.” 

On being asked about the improvement in the situation and the possibility of troop cuts in the valley, Ghai said, “We are in a consolidation phase, and no dilution of the counterinsurgency and counterterrorism grid is recommended. Both the grids need to be maintained. I definitely won’t recommend any troop cuts at this stage.”

Speaking on the border situation, the GoC said, “The counter infiltration grid is very strong, and many attempts have been foiled.” 

Ghai, however, said that there are terrorists on launched pads as per the intelligence, but as per the number present on launch pads, fewer infiltration attempts were seen compared to last year." “Seems infiltration routes are changed; that’s why this year Jammu region saw an increase in the numbers. But I am very confident that those numbers would come down as well,” he further stated.

On terrorists having the latest arms and technology, Lt Gen Ghai said, “The Army is leveraging advanced technologies to counteract terrorist communications, including ultra-secure channels." "We are continuously evolving our strategies and technologies to address emerging threats," he said.

Responding to a query pertaining to the possibility of any impact of the tensions in the Middle East on Kashmir, he said, “In light of recent events, including protests following the death of Hezbollah's chief Hassan Nasrallah, the Army has remained alert but has not received any specific intelligence regarding potential unrest. "Should any situation arise, we are fully prepared to address it," he affirmed. 

While speaking about the pager attacks and new technology used worldwide, the GoC said that the Indian army is always evolving and updating with the latest technology and strategy to deal with them. He said the Army is always keeping an eye on such situations and always ready to counter any such incidents in the region too.”