Audit of infra and socio-economic impact in Jammu and Kashmir post abrogation of Article 370 may be considered: Army Commander

“In order to gain an insight into the prevailing security situation in Jammu and Kashmir, a webinar presided by Southern Army Commander Lieutenant General J S Nain, Army Commander, was conducted by Desert Corps under the aegis of Pune based Southern Command. The conduct was focused on evolving social, political and economic contours in Kashmir, post abrogation of Article 370 and the consequent paradigm shift in the global and national security scenario. It was followed by an interactive session on the future roadmap,” a press statement from the Army said.

The panelists included Lieutenant General D P Pandey, General Officer Commanding (GOC) Chinar Corps, Lieutenant General KJS Dhillon (Retired), Former GOC Chinar Corps, who was at the helm of affairs during the Pulwama incident, along with Rajendra Kumar, former DGP and Jammu and Kashmir and TCA Raghavan, former High Commissioner to Pakistan and a foreign policy expert among others.

The statement added, “The Army Commander stressed upon the need to revamp the education system to ensure that the youth remain aligned to mainstream and the necessity of preventing narco-terrorism and guarding against infiltration in principal institutions. He reiterated that the decisions taken in the last few years, including abrogation of Article 370, delimitation and planned statehood to J&K is reflective of a strong and decisive leadership which is pursuing a secular, pluralist agenda, crucial for the development and betterment of J&K. An audit of the infrastructure development and socio-economic impact may be considered, to enable better policy-making decisions, he said.”

The statement said that the speakers expressed their views on changing dynamics in Kashmir and its implications on the security situation. The threat assessment in the global, national and regional perspective with likely effects on the prevailing situation in J&K was also deliberated upon. “An in-depth assessment of the agitational dynamics and white-collar terrorism was presented in one of the sessions to enlighten the audience with the hidden agenda of our adversaries,” said the statement.

 

“The Army Commander advised all stakeholders to be prepared to pre-emptively counter Pakistan’s next strategic design. India stands for peace and resolution of issues through diplomacy and dialogue, however, the conditions should be right and cessation of the proxy war by Pakistan is a prerequisite for the same,” the statement quoted the Army Commander as saying. The webinar was attended by about 1,100 Officers from 32 different stations under the Southern Command.