Army chief reacts to Rajnath Singh's comments on taking back PoK

India Today

Chief of Army Staff General Upendra Dwived said, "Whatever I will be empowered for, I will work for that."

Transcript

00:00Questioner 1 – General Dwivedi, Desh ke Grah Mantri Amit Shah, Raksha Mantri Rajnath

00:04Singh ne kaha ki Pakistan Adhikrit Kashmir, POK ek din Bharat ka hissa banega.

00:09Aap Sen Adhyaksh hai, kya aapko lagta hai ki yeh sambhav hai ki POK ko hum Bharat ka

00:15hissa banaya ek baar phir?

00:16Anupam Kher – Dekhiye jab koi bhi ladhai hoti hai toh usko hum bolte hain DIME-T.

00:20Pehle DIME bolte the, Instruments of National Power chaar hote hain, diplomacy, information,

00:26military, economy and main usme technology use jaroor karta hoon kyunki DIME-T abhi aagaya

00:30hai and aapka age of acceleration ka theme bhi bhi hai.

00:33So agar aap in cheezon mein dekhe, matlab jab bhi koi ladhai ke liye jaata hai toh kya

00:37wo ek army ladhai ke liye jaate hai?

00:40Aaj ki tarikh pe wo mumkin nahi hai, aaj ki tarikh pe do desh ladhai ke liye jaate hai.

00:45Toh jab do desh ladhai ke liye jaayenge toh kuch humein aise end state di jayegi ya bataya

00:49jayega ki bhi aapko yeh achieve karna hai.

00:52Toh jo desh jayega, wo humein end state di jayegi aur us end state ke liye us army ko

00:58ya us fauj ko ya us desh ko apni tyari karni padega ya nahi, empower karna padega.

01:03Aur jis cheez ke liye mujhe empower kiya jayega, us ke liye mein karwai kar hoon.

01:06Dr. Virendra Moitra You didn't really answer that question.

01:09If the end state is, can POK become a part of the Indian Republic?

01:15As Chief of the Indian Armed Forces, what's your response?

01:18My answer remains the same which I have given earlier.

01:23General, if I may, so we've spoken of China, we've spoken of the China-Pakistan tango,

01:29but has the threat for India actually increased that now there's a China-Pakistan tango and

01:36there's a Pakistan-Bangladesh tango?

01:38So we were talking about a two and a half front war,

01:41are we now looking at a three and a half front tensions on ground?

01:48This is in English, na?

01:50Okay.

01:52So as far as the army is concerned, the three tasks which are there to keep our frontiers secure.

02:00So we are sharing frontiers with so many countries.

02:03So when it comes to our capability, our capability should be able to take

02:07care of the capabilities of the neighboring nations.

02:10And that is what our army should be prepared for.

02:13Now coming on to specifically what you asked for Bangladesh,

02:16as for the Bangladesh is concerned, it is too early for to take any decision for us.

02:21Because let elected government come, let's see the relationship

02:25and let us see what could be done about it.

02:27Because as far as I am concerned, I am very clear, the present military-to-military

02:32relationship is very strong and we keep exchanging notes on regular basis

02:37to avoid any kind of a misgivings.

02:40Now the second point what you have brought out is basically the collaboration or kind of a

02:45relationship between our western neighbor and Bangladesh.

02:48As far as I am concerned, since I have said that the epicenter of terrorism

02:53is in some particular country, if they have relationship with anyone of my neighboring

02:57country, I should be looking worried.

02:59Because as far as I am concerned, the terrorism route can be used from that country also,

03:04which is my major concern as of today.

03:06Q. Sir, the government has set a deadline of March 2026 for when they think that Naxalism,

03:13left-wing extremism will be dealt with and finished.

03:16Do you have in your mind a similar deadline for when you think that in Kashmir terrorism

03:24can be finished?

03:25Because local recruitment is down substantially.

03:27Some say it's down to a trickle.

03:30Do you see that happen?

03:31What would it take to make it happen?

03:32How soon can it happen?

03:33A.K.

03:34See, what is important is when terrorism will finish is dependent on so many indicators.

03:40Is the economic development taking place?

03:42Are the politicians able to take their own decisions?

03:45They are not doing it under duress.

03:47Is police free to carry out their actions?

03:50Are the tourists who are going, they don't need any kind of protection?

03:54The kind of a road opening which is being carried out is still being carried out and

03:58when is it likely to continue?

04:00So these indicators which are there are telling us that there is a major hope.

04:05And in the age of acceleration, the changes which has taken place from after the 5th August

04:092019 have been phenomenal.

04:12So it's difficult to fix the time period because at times the violence level comes

04:18down to the level what you may have in metropolitan cities.

04:22So but since there is a third country involved, till the time the third country is involved,

04:27it may keep on simmering at various levels.

04:29So at times, it is for the government and the military to say, okay, now is the time

04:34the military can withdraw and police is capable of handling the situation.

04:38So let me build on that further.

04:39Do you think like we've seen with some states in the northeast,

04:42the time has now come where the army feels confident for the civil administration to

04:46revoke AFSPA and for the local police to take over the job of law and order in the

04:52Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir?

04:55It's highly possible.

04:56In what time frame is something what we look into?

04:58See, what we have to understand, firstly, we were looking at Poonch Rajouri area,

05:02Doda Kishtwada area.

05:03If you see that, we were looking at these areas will not have any kind of terrorism coming back.

05:08To the extent that bed and breakfast kind of accommodation will be prepared there for

05:12the tourists to come.

05:12The Mughal road we were looking at, this will be used in a big way.

05:15But what has happened?

05:17Today, we have inducted 15,000 additional troops there to curb the kind of terrorism

05:22which has come in.

05:23So what it means that it will take its own time.

05:26And when we have the AFSPA removed, that is something which will be a kind of a decision

05:31taken between the local government there, the Home Ministry and the…

05:35Let me frame it differently.

05:38Would you feel comfortable if there is a conversation at this time between Chief Minister

05:44Omar Abdullah, the Home Ministry and the armed forces for a conversation to begin for the

05:50revocation of AFSPA in Jammu and Kashmir?

05:53See, it has to start…

05:55How Assam it happened?

05:57How in Manipur it happened?

05:58If you see Manipur, as far as the Imphal is concerned, the AFSPA was removed to a place

06:04or to begin with, the police was there but the AFSPA was not removed.

06:07So that in case it is required for military to move in, you can move in.

06:11Similarly, if you see in the areas of Jammu, is military omnipresent to carry out the city

06:16ops?

06:16No.

06:17If the AFSPA is there but the police is there to carry out the operation.

06:21So before we remove the AFSPA, there is a transitional stage.

06:24The transitional stage is that the police should feel confident that we should be able

06:28to do it.

06:29As and when the army feels that they are no more required and there is adequate proof

06:34to say so, the army will say, okay, AFSPA can be removed.

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