Lauding the cooperation between the Indian Army and the media, outgoing Chinar Corps commander, Lt Gen D.P. Pandey, on Thursday, expressed his happiness over the media in Kashmir and the people again finding their voice to express themselves after years of remaining silent and being mute bystanders to the horrific events happening in the Kashmir Valley, and being untrustworthy of the administration.
“I think the visits, or the engagements with the public has been publicised because of the media finding its voice. Even as a GOC, commander; I see young company commanders engaging with people very intimately, that is the change that has happened. These interactions were earlier never publicised, never talked of, but this time just because the media has been able to speak out independently and talk of the progressive voices, you are able to write about it and talk about it. Can you imagine that a similar thing was done five years back, and you would not have reported it,” Lt Gen Pandey said.
When asked whether he had done something very different, he replied in the negative, saying, “I have just continued to do what my predecessors have done in the Kashmir Valley. So many young company commanders, CO’s are doing, so many soldiers are going along with the people of Kashmir because frankly the Rashtriya Rifles which is here in the valley are Indian Army forces which are deployed along the LoC. They are an intimate part of Kashmiri society because we live together here, therefore, we are also responsible to ensure that whatever troubles and travails come to us or to them, we go through those problems together.”
When the issue of American weapons from Afghanistan finding their way into Kashmir was flagged, Lt Gen Pandey replied in the affirmative, but said that the army and other security agencies did not see it as a challenge, but as an opportunity to make changes in tactics, procedures, and drills.
“So, yes, some weapons from across have come which are having the American stamp, or some better-quality ammunition has started coming in, some better quality of night scopes had also come in. The signatures are not very extensive. Are they challenges? No? We have just changed our style of commissioning, we have reoriented our drills, and we have been able to manage such a situation,” Pandey said.
He also spoke about there being an effective system in place to counter hybrid militancy.
“The hybrid threat has many aspects to it. Even the population was unable to understand initially why somebody was being picked up by the police, because in their eyes, he or she was a good person, a government person, a student at a school, working in an orchard, or a shop, etc., because he or she was not totally a terrorist. So, the concept has undergone a change, a system has been evolved to make sure that the number of hybrid terrorists comes down. With public support, we can identify anybody who picks up a weapon or is intent on carrying out a killing of a communalistic nature, very quickly, and thereafter, removed from the society,” the Chinar Corps GOC said.
He said society has to become more vigilant about these things, especially keeping an eye on their children, where are they going, what are they watching so as to ensure that they don’t get access to weapons to carry out a killing of common people at the behest of people who want society to be terrorised. There are elements who will continue to evolve systems to ensure disturbances in society.
There will threats all the time, and we will be prepared to counter them. A security system has been put in place. It is a good security system. An amnesty policy is also there, a system and procedure is in place,” he concluded.