Lt General Ranbir Singh, who was Director General Military Operations (DGMO) when the Army carried out surgical strikes across the Line of Control (LoC) in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK) in 2016, will be the new Northern Command chief. It was Singh who had announced about the operations having been conducted in the wake of a terrorist attack on an Army camp in Uri September that year killing 19 soldiers. Singh will replace incumbent Lt General Devraj Anbu, who will take charge as Vice Chief of Army, after present head Lt General Sarath Chand retires month end.

Northern Command is a strategically important command as it takes care of the borders with Pakistan in Jammu and Kashmir besides Siachen and Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China in Ladakh. Moreover, this command handles anti-militancy operations in Jammu & Kashmir including preventing militants from sneaking into the state from across the LoC.

Singh, commissioned into Dogra Regiment and currently serving as Deputy Chief of Army — Information Systems and Training at Army Headquarters here, assumes new responsibility as Northern Command chief at a crucial juncture when the Centre announced unilateral ceasefire during the holy month of Ramzan starting May 17. Moreover, India and Pakistan on Tuesday mutually agreed to fully implement the 2003 Ceasefire Understanding to bring down hostilities and ceasefire violations on the LoC and International Border (IB) in Jammu.

The agreement on ceasefire on the LoC, however, does not bind the Army from continuing with its anti-militancy operations within the State. In this backdrop, Singh will have to ensure that levels of violence do not go up given the apprehensions that the month long breather due to halting of anti-terrorist operations will give time to terrorists to regroup and rearm.

Similarly, as the Northern Command chief, he has to keep a close watch on Pakistan’s intentions to honour the latest pact. This is important as the LoC has seen more than 900 ceasefire violations in the first four and half months of this year as compared to 850 for the entire last year.

Courtesy: The Pioneer, Thursday, 31 May 2018 | PNS | New Delhi