Seeking to reassure the nation, the Chief of the Army Staff, General Bikram Singh, on Saturday said the Army would suitably and appropriately retaliate against any breach of ceasefire or provocation along the LoC in the Kashmir sector. It had also matched up to augmenting its infrastructure along the border with China.
Interacting with journalists on the sidelines of the reunion of the War Decorated India here, he said the Army preparedness to meet any eventuality was at an all-time high. Though the issue should be addressed by the officers of the respective brigades, “ hum ne bhi koi churiyan nahi pehan rakhi (we too have not worn any bangles),” Gen. Singh said when his attention was drawn to repeated ceasefire violations. He said the Indian Army personnel had responded adequately in the past and would continue to do so in the future.
‘Political decision’
The Army Chief, however, refused to comment on the private visit by Pakistan Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf to the Ajmer shrine in Rajasthan. “We had forwarded our concerns at an appropriate time to the Government of India. It is a political decision and it would not be correct on the part of the Chief of the Army Staff to comment on it. Let us not make an issue of this.”
Earlier, addressing the reunion function, attended by about 200 war decorated veterans, “ veer naris ” and the next of kin of the posthumous awardees, Gen. Singh advised ex-servicemen to avoid political adventures that blurred the “sheen of discipline of the armed forces they had served.”
Old-age home
Gen. Singh said the first old-age home for war veterans was coming up in Panchkula in Haryana, and suitable land was being identified for similar projects across the country.
