No troop cut till launching pads, camps dismantled: Srinagar GoC

ejazr

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http://www.greaterkashmir.com/news/...ll-launching-pads-camps-dismantled-goc-63.asp

Shopian, Jan 19: The General Officer Commanding (GoC) of Srinagar-based 15 Corps, Lieutenant General S A Hasnain today said that no troop-cut would take place until all "terror camps and launching pads" are dismantled in Pakistan administered Kashmir (PaK).
Speaking to media persons, during his ongoing 'people-to-people' contact at 44-RR camp in Balapora, in this south Kashmir district, Hassanain said,
"Though the graph of militancy has considerably come down but no troop-cut will take place in Kashmir unless Pakistan dismantles all terror camps in PaK. Terror camps continue to pose a big threat to us and there might be infiltration attempts. There is no question of going for any kind of troop-cut until all launching pads of militants are closed forever," he said.
General Hasnain interacted with local people, including village heads and local youth. Senior army officers were also present on the occasion.
General Hasnain, who took over as GoC 15 Corps recently, said the army's main aim was to see people of Kashmir happy. "We want to heal your wounds and bring back smiles of your faces," he told the gathering.
He said 20-years of perpetual strife had created a gap between the army and common people. "We want to bridge this gap. I will use my heart as a weapon. I have passed this direction to my soldiers to use their hearts as a big weapon," General Hasnain said.
He said army can't bring back complete peace in Kashmir overnight. "The valley is going through a difficult phase and peace cannot be restored overnight. We hope peace will prevail soon," the GoC said. "Peace is must for the development and without peace, development is impossible," he added.
Replying to various queries of the elderly people about soldiers misbehaving with the people during anti-militancy operations, General Hasnain said efforts were on to address the issue.
"I have recently taken over as GoC 15 Corps. I have not come with a gun in my hand but with a heart full of love and affection," he said.
To a query that every Kashmiri was seen as a suspect in various states, Hasnain said he would take up the issue with Director General of Police.
"Nearly 99.9 percent people of the Jammu and Kashmir are innocent. Because of less knowledge about other states and countries, they are being treated as suspects. I am hopeful that things will improve for each citizen of the state," he said.
The GoC said army was on a mission to promote tourism to expose beauty of valley and to create job opportunities for the locals.
 

bharadwaj

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Good strategy IMO but the Indian diplomats in Pakistan have to be a bit more 'proactive' and persistent to reduce the Army's burden in J&K.
Thanks for posting the article...........:)
 

ejazr

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More reports on the GoC's visit to Baramulla town. This is significant as this area is only next to Sopore town for being a stronghold of separatists.

Will modify rules of engagement: GOC GreaterKashmir.com
Baramulla, Feb 7: The General Officer Commanding (GOC) of Army's 15 Corps, Lt Gen SA Hasnain has termed the Handwara incident as most regrettable saying that he will fully try that rules of engagement are modified as desired by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.
"I want to clarify that Chief Minister has expressed his desire that rules of engagement should be changed and made as friendly as possible so that civilian causalities are avoided and I do promise that we will try and modify the rules of engagement," Hasnain said on the sidelines of a function organized in the old town Baramulla while reacting to the CM's post on Twitter.
Commenting on Handwara incident in which a youth was killed by the soldiers of 4-Para on Saturday, Hasnain said that people in the far flung areas should take precautions while venturing out of their houses during the night time. He expressed his desire that a message should go through media that army is operating at night also, ensuring domination at night since militants also make movement during the night and if any civilian comes out of his house there is a possibility of mistaken identity.
"Since militant movement happens also at night and for that matter army has to operate during night. In order to avoid mistaken identity, every un-armed person who happens to venture out of his house must carry some positive indication with him like torch, lantern, etc, so that he is recognized from a distance," said the GOC.
Over the issue of Standard Operating Procedure not being fully followed by the army as police is not being seen or informed at several occasions particularly during different ambushes laid down by the army, General Hasnain said that there are certain occasions and times when army need to operate independently.
"There are several occasions when army moves to outline areas, where there is little population and less presence of police and when some intelligence inputs about the presence of militants is there, army requires to act immediately, in such cases army moves out independently like counter infiltration on LOC, where we don't wait for police. Though there are isolated cases where army had to operate independently but I can assure you that our cent percent tendency will be that an un-armed civilian is not harassed," he said.
While reacting to the probe being ordered by the state into the incident, the General said that army has already ordered an internal probe into the incident as stated by the army chief.
Earlier Hasnain addressed residents and the mohalla presidents of highly volatile old town Baramulla. General Hasnain assured the locals of the old town that every effort will be made to redress their grievances. While addressing the locals, he said that youth should come forward and participate in different schemes undertaken by the administration and the army for their benefit.
A local NC activist urged the administration and the army that people languishing in different jails should be set free so that peace prevails in the town. He said that the residents of the old town are not only facing the problem on the development front only but also in the different recruitments.
"Residents of the old town are facing problems in recruitments as they are being deprived of police verification. Several youths who had been involved in militancy earlier but are now leading a normal life are being deprived of passports which itself is a human rights violation," said Riyaz Ahmad Nagoo, a local resident.
 

ejazr

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Army puts out a friendly hand

Srinagar, Feb. 7: The army appears in a hurry to build bridges with the local population after it drew fire from chief minister Omar Abdullah for killing a youth in Handwara.

Lt General S.A. Hasnain, the army's Kashmir chief, today addressed a couple of hundred people at Baramulla, many of them youth. Some had been foot soldiers in the Valley's ubiquitous stone-throwing brigade.

Lt General Hasnain, who heads the Srinagar-based 15 Corps, is the first senior Army officer to publicly discuss stone-throwing with the youth. The interaction came only a day after he met Omar, whom he assured that human rights violations would be avoided at every stage.

"Lots of problems have taken place in earlier years because of which the development matrix has been completely low here," he said.

"My intention was to come here today to send a message. The state administration, police and army are all on board. Our intention is that the footprint of development and peace come into this portion of Baramulla."

Many enthusiastic youth gathered round to speak to the officer. He told them that he wanted "to restore the trust which had been broken".

"Only few months have happened after September (referring to the end of last year's five month unrest). If you find that some people from outside come here to create trouble and pelt stones you should stop them. Onus does not lie with government but also with you. Self-policing is important to keep the town trouble-free," he said.

This was after a youth told him that people from other places come to Baramulla, the nerve centre of such incidents in north Kashmir, to throw stones.
 

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