Peace in Kashmir has to be maintained: Gen Suhag on army day

The hard-fought peace in militancy-hit Jammu and Kashmir has to be maintained, Army chief Dalbir Singh on Thursday said as he accused Pakistan of supporting terrorism in the state. He also said that the army needs to focus on war preparation which is its "primary task".

"The peace in Jammu and Kashmir, which was brought with great difficulty, has to be maintained," Singh said while addressing his force on the occasion of 67th Army Day.

He said the recent terror attacks show that terrorists continue to get support from "across the border".

Earlier this week too, he had accused Pakistan of continuing to support "proxy war" in Jammu and Kashmir despite suffering casualties due to terror on its soil.

Talking about the borders with China, General Singh said because of improvement in ties, "mutual trust has increased". He said there has been increased interaction between the two forces including border-post and flag meetings.

The army chief also said that the situation in the north-east was "peaceful and under control". Singh spoke about the need to keep the force prepared for all kinds of situations.

"The force has to focus on preparing for war, which is its primary task," he said.

Singh said that the army has been taking steps to face the challenge of "computer wars" which is the future. He said the increased focus on rail, road and defence in the northern border with China will help in improving the force's capability there.

The army chief spoke about the welfare activities that he was working on for the personnel. He said that he was "confident" that the government will soon implement the much-delayed One Rank One Pension demand.

Singh also revived an impressive parade by the army and for the first time, it was led by an all-women officers' contingent. The parade also saw soldiers displaying their combat skills, which got huge applause from the crowd. Actual explosives were used for the display and the earth shook with each explosion as the army gave a glimpse into its war manoeuvre strategy.