Northern Army Commander assures Mehbooba of all help to bring peace

Northern Army Commander Lt. Gen. D.S. Hooda, accompanied by Chinar Corps Commander Lt. Gen. Satish Dua, on Thursday called on Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mahbooba Mufti at her official residence and discussed the prevailing security situation in the Valley.

He assured the chief minister that Army would provide all possible assistance to the J-K Government to bring peace at the earliest.

He appealed to all sections of the society, especially the youth, to exercise calm and maintain peace.

Lt. Gen. Hooda said the prevailing state of violence has caused a lot of losses in terms of education of children, damage to public property, and losses to traders and daily wagers, and has badly affected tourism. The most precious loss is that of young people, who were sole breadwinners for their families.

Earlier in the day, Lt. Gen. Hooda visited several areas of the Kashmir Valley to review the security situation and collaborative measures of Security Forces towards ensuring peace and calm in the region.

Reinforcing the need to maintain high vigil, he urged the troops to continue exercising maximum restraint in dealing with the protesting crowds and sensitise the people, especially the youth, to eschew violence to usher in peace at the earliest.

He also appreciated various humanitarian initiatives by the troops to bring succour to common people affected due to the ongoing unrest and exhorted them to sustain this positive engagement with the 'awaam'.