Express News Service
NEW DELHI: In a strongly worded message to China and Pakistan, Indian Army Chief Gen MM Naravane said that no one should try to test the military’s patience with regard to defending the country’s borders.
“We are committed to finding the resolution of our disputes through discussions and political efforts but no one should commit the mistake of testing our patience,” he said in an address at the Army Day parade in Delhi’s Cariappa Parade ground.
While there is palpable tension with China along the Line of Actual Control in Eastern Ladakh, with armies of the two countries deployed in standoff position, Pakistan is resorting to unprovoked ceasefire violations along the Line of Control and is resorting to a proxy war in Kashmir.
Naravane assured the countrymen that the sacrifice of soldiers in Galwan Valley will not go in vain.
In May last year, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army unilaterally tried to change the status quo at multiple locations along the LAC in Eastern Ladakh.
On June 15, 2020, violent clashes took place which led to casualties on both sides.
While 20 Indian soldiers were martyred, China did not make its count public despite admitting to casualties.
Naravane also said that the army had eliminated over 200 terrorists in Kashmir in the last year alone.
“Around 300-400 terrorists are waiting in training camps near the border to infiltrate into the Indian territory. Number of ceasefire violations went up by 44 per cent last year, which shows the nefarious intentions of Pakistan,” he said.
Talking about the insurgency in the Northeast, the Army Chief said there has been some improvement on that front.
“Over 600 terrorists have surrendered and seized a large of cache of arms and ammunition. With the help of the Myanmar Army, we conducted operations and got huge success,” Naravane said.
Naravane also talked about the challenges surrounding the modernisation process and said there have been Capital procurements and steps have also been taken to develop future military technologies.
“We have procured arms and ammunition worth Rs 5,000 crore under emergency and fast track schemes and under capital procurement, we have signed contracts of Rs 13,000 crore this year,” he added.
Works on new-age technologies like Artificial Intelligence, blockchain, quantum computing, unmanned systems, directed energy weapons, and swarm drones are continuing in collaboration with the institutions like Indian Institute of Technology (IITs)
Indian Army has identified 29 projects worth Rs 32,000 crore for its modernisation initiative as part of the ‘Make in India’ initiative.
