Will talk peace after Pakistan stops supporting terror: Army Chief

Army Chief General Bipin Rawat on Friday said India and Pakistan can talk about establishing peace only if Pakistan stops supporting terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir.

Talking to reporters on the sidelines of an exercise of Indian Army in the Barmer area of Rajasthan close to the India-Pakistan border, the Army Chief said India wanted peace as well, but Pakistan's actions did not suggest they want peace.

"We want the (bilateral) relations to be better, but the kind of action that is happening from their side, when you look at the way terrorism is spreading in Jammu and Kashmir, from that it does not appear they want peace and tranquility," he said.

General Rawat said if Pakistan takes the right step against terrorists, India can think of going ahead with peace talks.

General Rawat also said the Indian Army, paramilitary forces and Jammu and Kashmir police, all have been taking action against militants in Jammu and Kashmir and the action will continue.

These comments comes after the Pakistan Army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa reportedly said the military was ready to back the political leadership's initiative for normalisation of relations with India.

It also comes a day after the Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said India would like good relations with Pakistan provided Islamabad takes action against terror groups.

The Army Chief was here to witness the 'Hamesha Vijayee' military exercise in Thar desert close to the India-Pakistan border where the army and air force in integration executed manoeuvres to evaluate the capabilities to strike deep into enemy territory.

The exercise was concluded on Friday.

The army executed its manoeuvres in a network enabled environment by employing diverse elements of combat and combat support arms fully integrated with air assets to achieve decisive results. The exercise is aimed at streamlining operational procedures, an official statement said.

With emphasis on surveillance and network centricity, a multitude of aerial and land based surveillance devices were fielded to gain information and present a comprehensive picture to the commanders.

Additionally, various electronic warfare equipment and other new age force multipliers were used to amalgamate technology and further refine real time information of adversary's activities which was shared with various command and control centres for planning and execution of coordinated operations.

A host of medium and long range weapons as well as airborne forces and aerial platforms were utilised, with a large array of tanks and other types of armoured vehicles duly supported by extensive firepower assets and logistics, as the army showcased its operational readiness.

The Army Chief commended the forces on their battle preparedness and synergised orchestration of complex operational manoeuvres. He also complimented the troops on achieving a very high standard of training during the exercise and termed it as highly successful.

--IANS

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