By IANS
Bangalore : Chief of Army Staff General J. Joginder Singh Friday said infiltrators from Pakistan were on the run, as their attempts to intrude into Kashmir were being foiled by the troops.
“In this battle of nerves, the Indian army has an upper hand now because they (infiltrators) are on the run though attempts to cross over the border are on, particularly during the summer as the weather is conducive,” Singh told reporters here on the sidelines of an army function.
Asserting that the army was fully geared up to counter the tactics of the infiltrators from the other side of the border, Singh said in the one or two attempts recently, several infiltrators were eliminated by brilliant operational tactics of the Indian troops.
“We will continue to maintain vigil to safeguard our borders. No country in the world can allow such dreaded men armed with weapons, explosives and other equipment to infiltrate in a clandestine manner.
“We are taking all measures so that infiltration is controlled and brought down to a very low level. At the same time, surrender of terrorists is taking place. Information about them is being provided by local villagers to us,” Singh said.
Claiming the army’s counter-infiltration strategy was working successfully in Kashmir and the northeastern region, Singh said there was greater acceptance of the troops as guarantors of security.
“Our counter-infiltration and counter-insurgency operations indicate that the situation in these border states is under control and the local people are looking up to the army to protect their lives and property,” Singh said after inaugurating the new campus of the Army Institute of Hotel Management and Catering Technology on the outskirts of the city.
Clarifying the army’s stand on the surrender of terrorists at the border rather than in the hinterland of Kashmir, the army chief said caution had to be exercised to prevent some of the terrorists who intended to surrender and later carried out acts of sabotage.
“We have to be careful about whom we accept or not. We have laid down a procedure with the help of the local people and the IB (intelligence bureau) to verify the antecedents of those wanting to surrender and their family background,” Singh added.
Singh, who is retiring at the end of Sep, is on a two-day visit to the city to hold review meetings and visit the military engineering group (MEG) training centre for a guard of honour.