Maintain pressure on terrorists for peaceful Kashmir polls: Indian Army chief

Indian Army Chief General Dalbir Singh Saturday advised his commanders to "maintain relentless pressure" on terrorists to ensure the peaceful conduct of assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir.

Speaking at the culmination of the Army Commander's Conference, parts of which were made available to the media, he stressed on the need to "maintain relentless pressure on the terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir so they cannot disrupt the forthcoming elections".

He also expressed satisfaction on the situation in the northeast and stressed on all stakeholders to be made part of the conflict-resolution mechanism.

On external security concerns, Dalbir Singh advised the commanders to "continuously assess the situation in the sub-continent with respect to the force and security transition taking place and its resultant effect on the national security".

The army chief also complemented the Northern and Western Commands for their response to the Jammu and Kashmir flood disaster.

"He lauded the selfless commitment of the Indian soldiers involved in the relief and rescue efforts," Army officials quoted the general.

He also said that army's modernisation programme is getting full support from the defence ministry. He also expressed hope the measures being planned to address the issue of shortage in officer cadre would fructify at the earliest.