Srinagar: The situation in Kashmir has improved vastly over the last few years but the time is not ripe yet for the army to go back to the barracks, a senior officer said here.
“The number of active terrorists in the valley is at its lowest in the last 34 years,” General Officer Commanding of Chinar Corps Lieutenant General A D S Aujla told PTI TV in an exclusive interview on Wednesday.
“In Sha Allah, but I think the time is not ripe at this point in time. We still have to see a lot of good things happening before we can take a call. Let it be a deliberate one. I won’t comment on the timelines per se, nor would I say that it is the wrong time or the right time,” Lt Gen Aujla said.
The GOC said the army is just a tool in the plans of the government to ensure that Kashmir prospers, flourishes, and blossoms.
“We will work collectively with the state administration, with the other agencies so that we can see better Kashmir before we can take a call. It is a national call and it will be taken appropriately at the right time,” he added.
Asked to compare the situation in Kashmir today with that of the time he arrived in the Valley as a young officer around 30 years ago, Lt Gen Aujla said things have now fallen into place.
“When we look back at the situation when I first came here, things were on the boil, they had to be controlled. Today, I can say with a certain amount of honesty that in the last 30 years, and particularly in the last three, three-and-a-half years since August 2019, things have fallen into the right place,” he said.
The officer said normalcy and peace in Kashmir was achieved after a lot of “sacrifices” and hard work.
“Being a soldier myself, I think this is the place where the sacrifices of the soldiers, the sacrifices of so many agencies, the administration, the people who have been involved in the daily dynamics of this place, have made a difference. You can say at this point of time, the silver lining is definitely on the horizon,” he said.
It was a gradual process that went on over the last so many years and there is still a lot of ground which needs to be covered, he said.
“At least, we are on the right path… whatever the army does or whatever the sister agencies do… the developmental work by the UT administration has changed the narrative in a big way. There is a huge change on the ground in every domain, every segment, every sphere,” he said.
Asked if the presence of militants in south Kashmir was a cause of concern, he said there was some “visibility” of militants but “the challenge is to weed them out” further lower the numbers.
“I won’t specify the numbers because numbers do not give the correct picture, but it suffices to say that we have been able to control this particular aspect and we have got it down to numbers which are very very far and few.
“So, that should be an aspect of great credibility for every agency, and of course, the army is the major role player in all this,” he said.
In response to a question on the ability of terrorists to strike during big events, Lt Gen Aujla said while there is an inclination among the ultras, the security forces were in great shape to control the situation.
“The propensity is definitely there. Even one individual can create a lot of trouble. But with the type of efforts, synergy, and domination being put in by every agency, and the army has the largest footprints, I think we are in a fair amount of control of the situation.
“Whatsoever we can do and whatever we want to achieve to make the others comfortable, I think we are in a great shape to look after the interests of security within the Valley at this point,” he said.
‘No infiltration of Taliban fighters into Kashmir after fall of Kabul’
Srinagar: The apprehensions about the influx of Taliban fighters into Kashmir after the fall of Kabul in 2021 did not materialise and no Afghani Taliban has infiltrated into the Valley, a senior Army officer has said here.
General Officer Commanding (GOC) of Chinar Corps Lieutenant General A D S Aujla also said that due to the ongoing internal crisis in Pakistan, there are no major worries regarding Kashmir but the armed forces have to remain alert to thwart any attempts to push in infiltrators, narcotics or weapons.
“As far as the apprehensions which were there post Taliban 2.0 are concerned, we could see the manifestations (of concern) on this side as well in Kashmir but it never happened,” Lt Gen Aujla told PTI in an interview on Wednesday.
A certain amount of chatter and a certain amount of signature was being reported on the other side in Pakistan-administered-Kashmir (PaK), but it never translated into reality onto this side, he said.
“So, there was no infiltration of any Afghani Taliban… To that effect, we have been able to control (things),” he added.
The GOC said India has grown in stature in a number of domains, including military, foreign affairs and economy, and is counted amongst “the very best and the most powerful” countries today.
“With that stature today, I think we are in a better position to convey and convince people across borders in many terms, which augurs well for the country. So, while the western adversary (Pakistan) which is closest to us may not agree and actually feels bad about this… the rest of the countries are now… in alignment with us on many matters,” he said.
So, there is hardly a chance of something emanating from the other side and disturbing the peace and tranquility of Kashmir, he added.
Asked about the current situation in Pakistan and its effect on Kashmir, Lt Gen Aujla said the crisis in the neighbouring country was bound to happen.
“We are all aware of what is happening and the crisis is immense whether it is on the political, economic, social or military front, you name a space and there is a crisis on the other side.
“It was bound to happen the way the country was going, it was just a matter of time,” he said.
However, Lt Gen Aujla said infiltration and smuggling of narcotics and ammunition through the border remain areas of concern.
“What worries us or concerns us at this point in time, majorly nothing. But other than that, when we look at what the dynamics of Kashmir are. The physical manifestation of infiltration is what worries us, the narcotics being pushed across (the border) is what worries us and the ammunition which is sent across is what worries us,” said the GOC, who has served several tenures in Jammu and Kashmir.
The Army is prepared to deal with any eventuality along the Line of Control (LoC), he said.
Asked if there has been any activity on the other side of the LoC after the political crisis in Pakistan, Lt Gen Aujla said, “Negative. We have not seen any major change.”
Asked about the infiltration of terrorists from across, he said the intent of Pakistanis has not changed.
“The intent still remains very much the same. Given the opportunity, he (Pakistan) does not hesitate to infiltrate terrorists. While the intent has not changed, we have put certain measures in place. We are pretty robust and strong along the LoC and can take care of such events,” he said.
Lt Gen Aujla said last year saw the lowest infiltration into the Valley.
“I can assure you that till date, it is zero. We will try and keep it to the lowest levels in the months to come,” he said.
