Officers tell troops at Line of Control to be prepared

Amid heightened tension, top Army commanders visited the Line of Control (LoC) and asked the troops to remain fully prepared to meet any security challenges.

For the fourth straight day, Pakistani army continued to pound the Indian forward positions and civilian areas along the LoC in different sectors of Rajouri and Poonch districts of Jammu division.

"At about 1615 hours, Pakistan initiated unprovoked cease fire violation by shelling with mortars and firing small arms along LoC in Nowshera Sector of Rajouri district. Later, at 1800 hours, Pakistan resorted to cease fire violations along the LoC in Mendhar, Balakote and Krishna Ghati Sectors. Indian Army retaliated strongly and effectively," said Lieutenant Colonel Devender Anand, defence spokesman at Jammu.

Earlier, Northern Army Commander Lieutenant General Ranbir Singh, accompanied by the White Knight Corps Commander Lieutenant General Paramjit Singh, visited the forward posts in Akhnoor Sector to review the operational preparedness and the prevalent security situation.

During the visit to the sector, the Northern Army Commander was briefed by the commanders on ground about the current operational situation, prevailing security scenario and the preparedness of the formation in dealing with the same.

The Northern Army Commander was also briefed on the actions taken to meet the challenges of increased ceasefire violations through superior and aggressive domination of LoC being exercised by the troops for exerting pressure on Pakistan and defensive measures put in place to thwart the nefarious designs of the adversary.

"The Army Commander interacted with the soldiers and complimented them for their unwavering dedication to duty, selfless devotion and high standard of professionalism. He was appreciative of the measures and standard operating procedures instituted by the units and formations in their area of responsibility to minimise the casualties due to cease fire violations and infiltration bids. The need to be prepared for effectively meeting current emerging security challenge was also reinforced," said Lieutenant Colonel Anand.

The Army commander exhorted all ranks on the need to remain vigilant to counter the nefarious designs of the enemy and anti-national elements. "The Army Commander appreciated the preparedness and most importantly the morale of all soldiers of the Crossed Swords Division in light of the recent operational scenario," he said.