Army Chief reviews operational readiness along LoC in J&K

On his first visit to Jammu and Kashmir after taking over as Army Chief, General Manoj Mukund Naravane on Thursday visited Line of Control (LoC) to review prevailing situation and operational readiness of Indian army.

General Naravane, who was accompanied by General-officer-commanding, Northern Command, Lt Gen Ranbir Singh, during his visit, was briefed by senior commanders about the prevailing situation along the LoC and also in the hinterland, official said.

They said the Army Chief flew to the Krishna Ghati sector along the LoC in Poonch district, where while interacting with soldiers, he stressed the need to remain prepared for all contingencies.

The Army chief lauded the unwavering dedication of soldiers to duty and high standards of professionalism, a dfence spokesperson said. Gen Naravane was appreciative of the efforts put in by Northern Command to meet the challenges posed by inimical elements..

This was the first visit of General Naravane to the sensitive areas along the LoC after taking charge of the Army chief. These areas were witnessing frequent mortar shelling by Pakistani troops.

Sources said apart from security situation in J&K and anti-militancy operations in the Valley, frequent ceasefire violations by Pakistan Army along the LoC in twin border districts of Rajouri and Poonch, Uri and other sectors in the Valley and infiltration attempts by the armed militants under the cover of firing by Pakistan were reviewed by the Army Chief.

Army chief also addressed the troops at Northern Command Headquarters in Udhampur, which was his first after taking over on December 31. Significantly, the address of Gen Naravane was delivered at 16 Corps Headquarters in Nagrota and 15 Corps Headquarters in Srinagar to the soldiers through video conferencing simultaneously.

Later in the day, General Naravane accompanied by Lt General Ranbir Singh called on J&K Lieutenant Governor Girish Chandra Murmu to discussed the prevailing security situation with him.

The Lieutenant Governor was appreciative of the synergy between the Army, other security forces and the civil administration in maintaining peaceful law and order situation, an official said.

Prior to J&K visit, the new Army chief had visited Siachen Glacier, the highest battlefield in the world located at the height of over 18,500 feet from sea level, on January 9, in the Union Territory of Ladakh.