Defence minister A K Antony on Friday hailed the armed forces for showing exemplary courage in guarding the country’s frontiers and at the same time fighting militancy against all odds.

He was interacting with the troops in border area of Uri on the first day of his two day Kashmir visit.

Defence minister made a special mention of troops in 19 Infantry Division Sector for their success in checking infiltration through the line of control (LoC). Antony added that the Indian armed forces have stood the test of time by serving everywhere relentlessly whether at the heights of Siachen or in the deserts of Rajasthan.

He said he visited LoC as he wanted to get  first hand information on the problems faced by troops while defending the border on one of the most inhospitable terrains.

The defence minister said he has full faith in country’s forces who would stand up to any challenge. Earlier, Antony visited Kaman Aman Setu, a bridge on LoC connecting Srinagar-Muzaffarabad road, and troops on LoC.

He was accompanied by army chief Gen J J Singh, chief of northern command, Lt Gen H S Panag, commander of Srinagar based 15 corps, Lt Gen AS Sekhon.

The defence minister was briefed by commander 12 infantry Brigade Brig NPS Hira at Kaman Aman Setu about the situation on LoC and various issues related with Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus service.

Troops ‘shoot’ antony’s visit
Kaman Posr (j-k), PTI: Pakistani troops resorted to “shooting” of a different kind as numerous cameras clicked when Defence Minister A K Antony stepped on to the Aman Setu bridge across the Line of Control (LoC) here.

Antony, on his first visit to forward posts in the Uri sector, walked almost half-way across the bridge — used by people travelling along the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad road — along with army chief Gen J J Singh.

As Antony talked to army officers and journalists accompanying him, several camera flashes went off on the Pakistani side. There was a flurry of activity on the Pakistani side when an advance party accompanying the defence minister reached the bridge, which was damaged in the 2005 earthquake in Kashmir.

Pakistani troops were seen, cameras and binoculars in hand, checking the movements on the Indian side.

Antony was briefed by Singh about the repairs to the bridge that would be undertaken by the army in the next few weeks. A flag meeting of commanders of both sides was held ahead of Antony’s visit, during which Indian officers briefed their Pakistani counterparts about his trip to forward areas.

The Indian Army proposed an exchange of sweets during the visit, but this was turned down by the Pakistanis without assigning any reasons.

While travelling to Kaman Post, Antony had to get out of his vehicle and trek a short distance as a part of the road was blocked on Friday morning by a sudden landslide caused by heavy rains.