Terror infrastructure in Pakistan intact: Indian Army
By IANSThursday, January 21, 2010
NEW DELHI - The terror infrastructure in Pakistan is intact though there has been a decline in incursions into Jammu and Kashmir, a top Indian Army officer said Thursday.
Lt. Gen. Mukesh Sabharwal, who is the adjutant general at Army Headquarters, said the fencing along the Line of Control (LoC) that divides Jammu and Kashmir between India and Pakistan has been a major factor in bringing down the levels of infiltration from across the border.
Sabharwal, who is adjutant general of the Indian Army, was speaking at the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) on ‘Internal security in Jammu and Kashmir: Historical Perspective and Emerging Scenario’.
“Communication is catered for and material and moral support of all kinds is provided (to militants in Pakistan),” Sabharwal said, adding terror camps and training centres had not been dismantled by Pakistan.
Sabharwal ruled out the presence on Al Qaeda and Taliban militants in Jammu and Kashmir but cautioned that the global terror networks were pooling resources with guerrilla outfits in the state to achieve their ends.
“We have not seen their (Al Qaeda and Taliban) presence,” he said.
The army officer, who has served several stints in Jammu and Kashmir, said cross-border infiltration peaked in 2004 to 3,300 but had come down to less than 100 in 2009. “There has been a perceptible drop in the levels of violence,” he said.
He said the army was winning the minds and hearts of people through Operation Sadbhavana (goodwill) under which it had provided health care, worked for development of border areas and opened 50 schools in the state.
Favouring reduction in the visibility of the army in the state, he said the police force should be strengthened.
IGNOU Vice Chancellor V.N. Rajasekharan Pillai, who chaired the lecture, said Gyan Deep, a partnership between the university and the army, had attracted attention all over the world. He said inclusive education was essential for inclusive growth of society.
Salil Misra from IGNOU’s School of Social Sciences referred to the Kashmir problem from different vantage points and presented the discussants remarks after the lecture, which was followed by an open discussion.
Gyan Deep is a programme designed for training and awarding degrees to soldiers during their service period.
