Army chief says stone pelters in JK overground workers of terror groups, must be dealt with sternly

Stone pelters in Jammu and Kashmir are overground workers of terror groups and should be dealt with sternly, Army Chief Gen. Bipin Rawat said Saturday, a day after a 22-year-old jawan was killed in stone pelting in Kashmir, even as he warned Pakistan to desist from supporting cross-border terrorism.

Sending a tough message to Pakistan, Gen. Rawat said if Islamabad continues to support cross-border terrorism, then the Indian Army can resort to "other actions" too.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an event to mark the Infantry Day, the Army chief, however, did not elaborate on what could be the possible action he was talking about.

The Army had carried out "surgical strikes" on terror launch pads across the Line of Actual Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir on September 28, 2016, following a string of terror attacks on military installations in India by Pakistan-based terror groups.

The Army chief also asked Pakistan to desist from aiding and abetting terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir, asserting that the Indian State was "strong enough" to ensure that the border state remains a part of India and no one can take it away by force or any other means.

On the death of jawan Rajendra Singh in stone-pelting in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag district, Gen. Rawat reiterated his earlier stand that the stone-pelters are nothing but over ground workers of terror outfits. "I still say the same... If they (stone-pelters) can kill people with such acts, are they not becoming like terrorists."
The aim of Pakistan, he said, is to keep the Indian Army "embroiled in this proxy war that they have lost."