Rawat added that incidents of cross-border infiltration have also come down and the situation in the state had improved significantly in the last few months.
Chief of Army Staff Bipin Rawat on Wednesday said the appointment of former Intelligence Buerau (IB) chief Dineshwar Sharma as 'special representative' to initiate a peace dialogue in Kashmir will not deter counter-terror operations by security forces that got success in gunning down top terror commanders this year. "His appointment as interlocutor for Kashmir will not affect army operations... We are negotiating from a position of strength," he said.
"The government's existing policy on Jammu and Kashmir had helped in improving the over-all situation in the state. Government has appointed him; let him work," he said while answering a question on whether government initiatives to control the situation had failed.
Sharma has been appointed to carry out a 'sustained dialogue with all stakeholders' hoping to restore peace in Kashmir. There has been an escalation of violence in the conflict-hit state over the last one year.
Rawat added that incidents of cross-border infiltration have also come down and the situation in the state had improved significantly in the last few months.
"In January, you had asked me whether the situation has deteriorated in Kashmir, whether we have lost Kashmir. Now you analyse where Kashmir is," he asked.
"We have killed terrorists on the Line of Control because of which the situation has improved," he added.
Security forces have intensified anti-terror operations. They have successfully neutralised 175 terrorists so far, including several top commanders of outfits like Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Hizbul Mujahideen.
Last year forces had gunned down 150 terrorists, while the toll was 101 and 104 in 2015 and 2016 respectively.
The increase in number of kills is being attributed to precise information being generated on the movement of terrorists through human intelligence, sources officials said.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "Bipin Rawat-PTI")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}