NEW DELHI: Terrorists from across the border in Pakistan they are making desperate attempts to infiltrate Jammu and Kashmir to disrupt normal democratic processes, Army Chief General MM Naravane said on Saturday.
“With the current situation on our western borders, terrorism remains a serious threat. That is not diminishing despite all the efforts that are being made, ”General Naravane said, speaking after reviewing the parade of fainting at the Indian Naval Academy at Ezhimala in Kerala.
With the onset of winter and the mountain passes soon to be covered in snow, desperate attempts are being made to push the terrorists off the “launch pads” along the Line of Control, he said. “This is why they (the terrorists) have also started to move south and are now trying to infiltrate through lower regions, including through tunnels across the international border,” he added.
As previously reported by TOI, the Pakistani Army has also escalated ceasefire violations (CFVs) along the 778 km-long LoC, with up to 4,100 of them already recorded this year, the highest number since 2003.
The surge in CFVs, which are also often used to give “covering fire” to infiltrating terrorists, comes amid the ongoing military confrontation with China in eastern Ladakh. The Indian Army, of course, retaliates against every CFV with precision strikes.
The total number of CFVs throughout the LoC stood at 971 in 2017 and 1,629 in 2018. The number jumped to 3,168 in 2019, with the peaks recorded first after the Balakot airstrikes and then the annulment of Article 370 and the J&K fork.
At the naval parade, the Army chief said: “Today, the country faces challenges from all sides, some local and others from abroad. The Armed Forces are the strongest pillar in the defense of the country. While all else may fail, we simply cannot. ”
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