We already have roadmap, time frame for establishing theatre commands: Army Chief

Army Chief General MM Naravane on Thursday said that Indian defence forces are at a preliminary stage of establishing theatre commands, and underlined that there is a certain "roadmap and timelines" to complete the task.

"We are at a preliminary stage of theatrisation of the defence forces. We are ideating at the moment to find the best possible solutions to best suit our requirements. We have a certain roadmap and timeframes to follow while doing this. We are in the planning process on this," the Army chief said.

His remarks came in response a question on whether there was any plan to set up Jammu and Kashmir theatre for the Army.

The Army Chief's comment came days after Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat said the military theatre commands are planned to be rolled out by the year 2022.

"We may have a separate Jammu and Kashmir theatre but the shape would be finalised later. We are also working on separate joint commands for logistics and training," the CDS had said.

When asked about the health condition of Kashmiri Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Gilani, and whteher it can create disturbance in Jammu and Kashmir, General Naravane said the forces were ready to meet any situation.