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Lt Gen Krishan Pal returns to crucial posts in Kashmir

Josy Joseph in New Delhi

The Centre has withdrawn the director-general of Rashtriya Rifles from the crucial posts of security advisor to the Jammu and Kashmir government and chief of the unified command in the trouble-torn state.

Lieutenant General Avtar Singh had taken over from Lieutenant General Krishan Pal, the 15 Corps commander, after the latter moved his entire force to Kargil to fight Pakistani intruders.

Army sources said the chief of the RR, a specialised force raised to fight insurgency, has returned to his Delhi headquarters after two months in the valley. On anti-terrorist operational matters, it was to him that the Border Security Force, the Central Reserve Police Force and even the state police were reporting. He had also been officiating as the security advisor to the Jammu and Kashmir government.

The RR chief's withdrawal is due to two reasons. First, the 15 Corps, minus the 8 Mountain Division, has returned to the valley to look after anti-insurgency operations. Second, the state government, the BSF and some other quarters had expressed reservation about the army's unilateral decision to replace Lt Gen Pal with the RR DG. In fact, sources said the BSF headquarters in New Delhi had written to the home ministry protesting against the fact that its personnel had to report to the chief of RR, which technically is a paramilitary force. Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Dr Farooq Abdullah too had expressed reservation about the matter.

Under the post-Kargil army strategy, the 15 Corps, minus the Mountain Division, will take care of anti-terrorist operations. The army has at present three corps in the state, in place of the two before Kargil. While 15 Corps was looking after anti-insurgency operations and manning the LoC from Zoji La to Siachen and Aksai Chin areas, the 16 Corps looked after the border till Zojil La.

When the army moved into the valley early this decade, the state government had appointed the 15 Corps commander as its security advisor besides making him the chief of the unified command, a co-ordinated headquarters for anti-terrorist operations. The well-acclimatised 15 Corps was completely withdrawn from the valley and posted to the battlefront. To make up for the shortage, the army had then moved in more RR battalions.

Army sources said the 8 Mountain Division, which has now joined the 14 Corps, will be replaced with a specialised division, to be raised outside Srinagar.

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