Chief of the Army Staff General M.M. Naravane arrived in Srinagar today on a two-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir to review the ground situation in the Kashmir valley along the Line of Control (LoC) and the counter-insurgency operations in the Union Territory, an exercise that comes as the ceasefire with Pakistan marks its 100th day.
According to media reports, General Naravane will be visiting the forward positions in the Valley to review the operational preparedness of troops to foil possible militant strikes and infiltration.
A Hindi news channel quoted army sources as saying, “The Army chief would be in Srinagar today to review the situation on the ground along with the top military commanders there from the 15 Corps which looks after both counter-terrorism and counter-infiltration operations in the valley.”
General Naravane has also given clear instructions to the formations on the ground to ensure that the ceasefire agreement is fully observed but at the same time to maintain strict vigil against any infiltration attempt by terrorists from across the LoC.
India and Pakistan announced a ceasefire earlier in February, citing the need to tap the trade potential in Central Asia. But the announcement was never followed in letter and spirit after an initial spell of silence.
On February 25, the Directors General of military operations in both countries decided that the 2003 ceasefire agreement will be strictly adhered to. There was initial euphoria that the development may lead to meaningful bilateral talks between India and Pakistan, but there has been no concrete progress since then.
According to official figures, the total number of ceasefire violations so far this year stands at 592. Of this, 591 incidents took place before February 25. In comparison, between January 1, 2020 and June 1, 2020, Pakistan violated the ceasefire 1,531 times. The year 2020 saw 4,635 ceasefire violations, up from 3,233 in 2019.
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