“We have to take a call on whether we want a safe and secure environment”
New Delhi: Indian Army Chief Bipin Rawat on Wednesday said that it is necessary to put some curbs on access to the internet in Jammu and Kashmir, as militants often use social media for their activities, ANI reported.
“In a democratic country, people will not like it [a ban on social media],” Rawat said. “But we have to take a call on whether we want a safe and secure environment, where we are willing to accept curbs on the internet temporarily so that terrorism can be dealt with.”
The chief of army staff said militants were using high technology systems which “transcend international borders.” “We need to disrupt terrorists and their sponsors,” he added. “We need to identify the nations which sponsor terror.”
“Nuclear and chemical weapons falling into the hands of terrorists can be a disaster for humanity,” he said.
On Sunday, Rawat had said that he favoured “ramping up” the military offensive to increase pressure on Pakistan to stop cross-border terrorism. The Army chief said political initiatives for peace must go hand-in-hand with military operations in Jammu and Kashmir.
The Indian army chief at the start of the week sparked off a controversery when he called for army control over the mosques and schools in the state. His utterances sparked uproar in the J&K assembly on Monday, with the opposition NC walking out of the house demanding a statement from the chief minister.
Notably, the Education Minister, Altaf Bukhari had then accused the Army of “meddling in the state’s affairs”.
Speaking on the issue in the Assembly, NC MLA Ali Mohammad Sagar termed the army chief’s statement as “sad and unwarranted.”
Speaking to reporters, Sagar said that there was a problem in the government and that the partners in power were not discussing the issue within.
“They (PDP and BJP) are not discussing issue within,” he said.
“The centre says one thing, the army another, the home ministry yet another, and the state government something altogether different. They have different directions,” he said.
“There is no such radicalisation is Kashmir. The (army chief’s) statement is manufactured propaganda aimed to target Kashmir and Kashmiris,” Sagar had said.
The Education Minister while taking a strong exception to the army chief’s remarks, had rebuffed his claims and asked him to mind his own business.
“Everyone has his own domain. Those who have no link to education are talking about it. It is not a fair comment and we do not accept it,” Bukhari had said.
BJP while reacting to the Minister’s stance described the army as a “stakeholder in the state’s peace and development,” and asked Jammu and Kashmir’s education minister “not to lock horns” with the military.”
Kashmiris ‘Tired’ Of Militancy
People in Jammu and Kashmir are tired of terrorism as they have realised it cannot give them what they want, Army chief Bipin Rawat said on Wednesday.
In a Facebook Live session at the ongoing Raisina Dialogue organised by Observer Research Foundation (ORF), he also said that people of Kashmir have come to know that it is not possible to secede from India.
“The people of Kashmir in general, I think, are getting tired of terrorism. They have seen it for too long and they have realised that it hasn’t given them what they had desired for,” Gen. Rawat said.
“Let me tell you, with a country like India, to seek independence from a nation where we have strong armed forces, very strong democracy and very strong government… you cannot secede away from India.
“This is what people have realised and while of course some of them have gotten radicalised into joining terrorism and maybe it gives them a macho image or whatever happens, I do feel that most of them want to join the mainstream, but some of them who have got radicalise,d I think we need to address those people and carry out with our our deradicalisation campaign. If that works, I think we can succeed in putting an end to terrorism,” he said.
Pakistan Attempting To Revive Insurgency
Army Chief while reacting to the ceasefire violations along the Line of Control (LoC), said Pakistan is trying to make an attempt to revive insurgency.
“The LoC is live because of infiltration taking place from across the border.There are terrorist bases very much inside Pakistan, attempt is being made to revive insurgency in Kashmir because people feel there is some semblance of peace that is returning in the Valley and we realise large scale infiltration taking place in coming few months,” he said.
“That is why border is being kept active and alive by the Pakistani troops to support terrorists and support them in infiltration across LoC.”
The Army chief said that as long as Pakistan keeps attempting to send terrorists across the border, India will keep taking action.
Asked about his comments on Pakistan’s “nuclear bluff”, he said though it is a weapon of deterrence, it may not completely deter war.
“Nuclear weapons are strategic weapons and their use is not easy. It is decided that the highest level in any establishment. To talk about use of nuclear weapons in the conventional domain, I don’t think it is right form of use.
“If they are a weapon of deterrence, it does not imply it will completely deter countries from going in conflict, specially if political masters in any country decide to push you into combat because of the political aims that they have for themselves…
“In case you are asked to take an action against an adversary, I don’t think just because a nation has nuclear weapons, you are going to get deterred by that,” he said.
We’re Ready For Any ‘Exgiency’ On Doklam
The Army does not visualise any “serious trouble” post-Doklam episode as the border forces of India and China are holding regular exchange and the earlier “bonhomie” has returned, but the forces are prepared for any exigency, Army chief General Bipin Rawat said today.
Rawat also insisted that the PLA soldiers were not in the same numbers in the North Dolam (Doklam) area as they were at the time of the (India-China military) stand-off.
“They have carried out some infrastructure development, most of it is temporary in nature. But while their troops may have returned and the infrastructure remains, it is any body’s guess whether they would come back there, or it is because of the winter they could not take their equipment away,” Rawat said.
He was responding to a question on Facebook Live, posted by the Observer Research Foundation (ORF), one of the organisers of the multi-lateral ‘Raisina Dialogue’.
“But then we are also there. In case they come (back), we will face them,” Rawat added.
The Army chief’s remarks come in the wake of media reports about China carrying out some infrastructure development in the disputed region.
He said the mechanism in place to defuse the tensions between the two countries are working very well.
“After the Dolam incident…we have started our border personnel meeting. We are meeting regularly, exchanges are taking place, communications between the commanders at the ground level is on and the bonhomie has returned which was prior to the Dolam (incident),” he said.
The Army chief added, “We don’t visualise serious trouble but then one has to be prepared for it.”
Indian and Chinese troops had been locked in a stand-off for over two months last year in the Doklam area near Sikkim before “disengaging” on August 28.
There was also an incident of road building by Chinese civilians at Tuting in Arunachal Pradesh, but that was resolved last week.
PULLOUT
“Let me tell you, with a country like India, to seek independence from a nation where we have strong armed forces, very strong democracy and very strong government… you cannot secede away from India.”