Commemorating 20 years of the victory of Operation Vijay, Indian Army chief General Bipin Rawat paid his tributes at the Kargil War Memorial in Dras and asked the countrymen to rest assured that the nation’s borders continue to be manned and protected. Rawat spoke on a range of matters — from Trump’s Kashmir blooper to the issue of missing names of Army personnel in the Assam NRC draft.
“I want to convey to our people that you can rest assured that any task given to the defence services will always be accomplished no matter how difficult it is. Our soldiers will continue to man and guard our borders,” said Rawat, warning Pakistan of any future “misadventure”.
While reflecting on the Operation Vijay, Rawat said that the Indian Army was “compelled to take up the war in Kargil” to smother Pakistani infiltrators who had slithered in through the Drass area. “The then PM, Vajpayee, had told the Forces that he wants the infiltrators to be thrown out and even before the forces moved out he was confident that we will win,” he added.
In a stern message for Pakistan, Rawat said even though misadventures are not ideally repeated, if Islamabad tries for any, then they will get a “bloodier nose next time.”
Speaking on the Defence paraphernalia, he said, “We are looking at modernising our inventory. Our focus is on Artillery weapon system. By 2020, we will get the Howitzers. Now, K-9 Vajra is being manufactured in the country and two Bofors-like guns are being manufactured locally.”
Regarding Donald Trump's claim that PM Modi had urged US mediation on Kashmir issue, Rawat said, "There is a difference between talk and action. We all know what is happening in Pakistan. You know who controls the country. Pakistan will do anything to get money and once they get it they will do what they have been doing all this while."
Calling the gaffe a “desperate attempt” to reignite a dying flame, the Army chief said, “Pakistan is doing everything to keep the Kashmir issue alive. It has been proved that they are providing financial support to terrorists. Radicalisation on social media is being done to keep the Kashmir issue alive as they have sensed that Kashmir will not remain an international issue for long.”
On being asked about the instances where former army personnel's names have been struck off from the National Register of Citizens in Assam, Rawat said, "We will support any army personal who has an issue with the NRC. If a person has served the Indian Forces then he will surely be taken care of. We will help him with all the required documents."
Rawat concluded by assuring the people of India that “peace and tranquility prevails along the Line of Actual Control (LAC)” and that the situation is under control.”
"Our soldiers have very little demands. We have to keep their morale high. A soldier fighting a proxy war needs tools for surveillance that helps him identify the enemy he needs his gun and armour. We are also looking at what else we need to fight this proxy war. We are in the process of modernising our forces but we cannot do it overnight," he said.
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