Lt Gen Dwivedi says of 7 friction points in Eastern Ladakh, only two unresolved

The Army today described the situation on the Ladakh border along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) as stable, but not normal. The Army, however, said there were seven friction points in Eastern Ladakh, where the Indian and Chinese armies have been in a standoff since 2020, and five of these points have now been resolved after talks.

“The Northern border area is stable, but I will also say it is not normal. It is sensitive,” Lieutenant General Upendra Dwivedi said.

“There, we had seven friction points. Five points we have resolved during the discussions. There are some remaining points and we are having discussions going on about them,” he added.

As militants have stepped up attacks on the Army in Rajouri Poonch region of Jammu, the Army Commander accused Pakistan of increasing militant activities in the region. He announced that the Army is going to take some strong steps to control militancy in Rajouri Poonch. He, however, didn't name Pakistan but called it a neighbouring country.

He said over the years, the Rajouri-Poonch area has witnessed prosperity, with improvements in living conditions for residents. He said the developmental investments have led to progress in various projects, contributing to increased employment opportunities. “The neighbouring country,” the Northern Army Commander, said was not able to digest peace and prosperity in the region and started promoting militant activities there.

“We are taking strong steps to counter it,” he said adding in the coming days the militancy in the region will be controlled.

The Northern Army Commander said there is a need for enhanced coordination among security agencies, the public, and the police. He said it includes plans to expand police stations and reorientation to curb activities originating from Pakistan.

On Friday evening, militants attacked an Army vehicle in the Poonch district of Jammu. The army returned the fire and later started a massive operation to trace out the militants.

The attack came when high-ranking officials, including Lieutenant-General Dwivedi, were in Rajouri to develop strategies to counter frequent terror strikes in the area.

This was the second attack on the Army in the region in the past few weeks, following an attack in Poonch’s Dera Ki Gali area in which four soldiers were killed and five were wounded.

The Pir Panjal region of Rajouri and Poonch districts has been free from militancy since 2003. However, major attacks have resumed in the sensitive border region since October 2021. In the last seven months, 20 soldiers, including officers and commandos, have been killed.

The Northern Commander described 2023 as a zero-infiltration year saying no reported incident of infiltration was recorded from the Line of Control. “We have started operations against foreign terrorists and this will continue in 2024,” he added.

Courtesy: The Tribune India:  15^th  Jan , 2024