Army commanders want peace in Jammu and Kashmir

The Army commanders attending a biannual conference feel that priority must be given to ushering in peace in Kashmir through counter-terror operations that “minimise collateral damage” and “de-radicalisation” of the youths who have taken up arms.

An Army officer said the conference, which began on Monday, would end on Saturday when the senior generals would discuss military operations.

The conference is being held amid rising violence in Kashmir, continuing ceasefire violations along the India-Pakistan border and the recent stand-off in Doklam with Chinese troops.

Army officers said one of the focus areas was the military preparedness along the Chinese border. With inputs warning of flare-ups along the disputed border in the summer, the Indian military is leaving nothing to chance. The commanders discussed the situation in Kashmir and felt that radicalised youths must be “brought into the mainstream through de-radicalisation and a collective approach aimed at persuading the youths to shun violence,” an officer said.

Points of discussion

He said the commanders discussed the situation along the Line of Control, the increase in ceasefire violations and the adequacy of the response mechanism. “The apex commanders discussed the prevalent situation in the Valley and reviewed the recent developments affecting the operations of the armed forces in the region,” he said.

The senior generals spent considerable time on reprioritising the requirements to “ensure that the resources allocated for force modernisation and capacity-building are utilised optimally within the budgetary allocation.” They also discussed ways of increasing the indigenous content in procurements.

Each of the Army commands briefed the commanders separately, and every Principal Staff Officer of the Army Headquarters briefed the meeting on issues ranging from human resource management to facilitation of veterans and career progression.