Army chief briefs defence minister on Kashmir

Army chief Gen Bipin Rawat on Thursday briefed Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir and on Indo-Pak border.

The Army has been put on high alert along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir to effectively repulse any possible Pakistani misadventure in the wake of the government scrapping the provisions of Article 370 and deciding to split the state into two Union Territories.

"The Chief of Army Staff Gen Bipin Rawat briefed Raksha Mantri Shri @rajnathsingh today on developments in Jammu &Kashmir and on Indo-Pak border. Overall the situation is under control and the Armed forces are in a state of high alert and closely monitoring the situation," the Raksh Mantri Office India tweeted.

On Monday, official sources said top Army commanders in Jammu and Kashmir are closely monitoring the overall security situation in the state to thwart any civil disturbances following the Centre's decision to end special status to Jammu and Kashmir.

Sources said Pakistan may try to trigger unrest in the Kashmir Valley and there may be spurt in violence including IED blasts and fidayeen attacks following the government's bold decisions.

"The security forces are fully prepared to deal with any situation. We will not allow the situation to go out of hand," said a senior military official earlier.

The government revoked Article 370 which gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir and proposed that the state be split into two union territories, Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced the decision in the Rajya Sabha, fulfilling the electoral promise of the BJP. While it sent a wave of jubilation among government supporters and others, it also provoked outrage from the NC and the PDP, the principal political parties in Jammu and Kashmir.