STATE TIMES NEWS
Srinagar: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday said Pakistan is continuously trying to disturb peace in Jammu and Kashmir through its approach of bleed India with a thousand cuts , but warned that a befitting reply will be given if attempt is made to hurt the unity and integrity of the nation.
Our neighbour has always resorted to anti-India activities. The state also witnessed terror activities in the past. Pakistan continuously tries to disturb peace in the country through its approach of bleed India with a thousand cuts, Singh said while addressing security forces in Baramulla district.
Singh, however, assured the nation that if an attempt is ever made to hurt the unity and integrity of the country, the armed forces will give a befitting reply.
He arrived here on a two-day visit to review the security situation in the Union territory.
The Defence Minister undertook a first-hand assessment of the situation in the formations looking after Line of Control (LoC) and forward areas in North Kashmir. He was accompanied by Chief of the Army Staff General Manoj Pande; General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (GoC-in-C), Northern Command Lt Gen Upendra Dwivedi; GoC, 15 Corps Lt Gen AS Aujla and GoC, 19 Infantry Division Maj Gen Ajay Chandpuria.
He was briefed on the existing ceasefire agreement on the LoC, development works on field fortifications, counter infiltration grid, operational preparedness and Army-citizen connect in border areas. Upon his arrival at 15 Corps HQs, Rajnath Singh was briefed by the GOC 15 Corps on the overall security situation prevalent on Line of Control and the hinterland. He was also briefed on the measures instituted for the safety and security of Amarnath Yatra.
Rajnath Singh interacted with the personnel of the Armed Forces, Border Security Force (BSF), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and J&K Police.
Earlier on Thursday, the Defence Minister paid tributes to the Army personnel killed in the Galwan Valley clashes two years back that marked the most serious military conflict between India and China in decades.
“Remembering the heroes of Galwan who fought valiantly for the honour of the country and laid down their lives on June 15-16, 2020. Their courage, bravery and supreme sacrifice will never be forgotten. I pay homage to those bravehearts,” the defence minister tweeted.
Singh is currently on a two-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir.
The eastern Ladakh border standoff escalated significantly following the Galwan Valley clashes in which 20 Indian Army personnel laid down their lives.
In February last year, China officially acknowledged that five Chinese military officers and soldiers were killed in the clashes though it is widely believed that the death toll on the Chinese side was much higher.
Colonel Bikumalla Santosh Babu, the commanding officer of the 16 Bihar regiment, had led from the front against the Chinese aggression near Patrolling Point 14 in Galwan Valley.
In November last year, he was posthumously awarded Mahavir Chakra, the second-highest military award for acts of gallantry in the presence of the enemy.
Months after the deadly confrontation, the Army built a memorial for the ‘Gallants of Galwan’ at Post 120 in eastern Ladakh.
The memorial mentioned their heroics under operation ‘Snow Leopard’ and the way they evicted the PLA troops from the area while inflicting “heavy casualties” on them.
The names of the 20 Army personnel were also inscribed on the National War Memorial in Delhi in January last year.
The eastern Ladakh border standoff between India and China began in early May of 2020.
As a result of a series of military and diplomatic talks, the two sides completed the disengagement process last year in the north and south banks of the Pangong lake and in the Gogra area.
Each side currently has around 50,000 to 60,000 troops along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the sensitive sector.