General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Northern Command, Lt General YK Joshi Friday said the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution has been a major game-changer in J&K.
“The abrogation of Article 370 and improvement in governance has been a major game-changer and helped in restoring faith of the common people in the institutions of the Government,” Lt General YK Joshi said here.
On the occasion of the Army Day, Northern Commander Lt Gen Joshi paid tributes to the Army soldiers by laying a wreath at the Dhruva War Memorial in Udhampur.
He said that the Army has played a significant role in creating an ecosystem of safety and normalcy in J&K in which people can resume their lives normally despite covid.
On Ladakh situation, he said Indian Army is perched at a position of operational advantage against China.
“Northern Command is now perched at a position of operational advantage and are negotiating with the PLA from a position of equivalence,” he said.
“The challenge in Eastern Ladakh has been further complicated by vagaries of weather and terrain. However, the Indian Army has displayed immense grit and determination to match the Chinese belligerence and give them a befitting reply.”
“We are contending triple challenges in Northern Command i.e. western adversary Pakistan is unrelenting to use militancy as an instrument of State policy. Secondly, we have Northern borders where we have seen the Chinese belligerence along LAC where they tried to change the status-quo which has been contested with resolve and courage. Thirdly, the internal situation in J&K which is stable and under control but it has the propensity to flare-up anytime,” the Army commander said.
“There is no doubt that collusive threat has always existed and we can see it manifest in so many forms in the entire spectrum ranging from supplying weapons, sharing operational practices and many other things. The threat is real and present danger for us in Northern Command,” he added.
Later, the Army commander launched a musical talent hunt – Shaurya.
The Army Day is celebrated in recognition of Field Marshal KM Cariappa (then Lt Gen) taking over as first Indian Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army on January 15, 1949, from General Sir Francis Butcher, the last British Commander-in-Chief of India.
Lt General YK Joshi awarded ‘certificates of appreciation’ to five journalists and photo-journalists.
The awardees are Senior Editor Times Now, Pradeep Dutta; Principal Correspondent ABP News, Ajay Bachloo; Bureau Head UNI, Vishal Bharti; Bureau Head PTI Anil Bhatt and photojournalist Associated Press, Channi Anand.