New Delhi: India is ready for a ‘two-and-a-half front war’, Army Chief General Bipin Rawat has said referring to Pakistan, China and the internal conflicts, ANI reported.
In an interview to the news agency, Gen Rawat said he was confident the situation in Kashmir would soon normalise.
Talking about Pakistan, Gen Rawat said, “Pakistan is spreading disinformation among the youth of Kashmir with doctored videos and messages. This is further supported by some of the people in the Valley who spread it and glamorise the young boys who have joined terrorist organisations.”
“We are raising our modernisation issues with the Government of India. The discussions are going well,” Rawat told ANI.
Earlier, the Army chief had termed the unrest in Kashmir “a proxy war”. “This is a proxy war and proxy war is a dirty war. It is played in a dirty way. The rules of engagement are there when the adversary comes face-to-face and fights with you. It is a dirty war… That is where innovation comes in. You fight a dirty war with innovations,” Rawat had told PTI.
A political slugfest over the Army chief was triggered recently when former CPI (M) general secretary Prakash Karat criticised General Rawat over the handling of Kashmir protests.
Karat, in a piece written in the party organ ‘People’s Democracy’, had said that General Rawat was reflecting the views of the Narendra Modi government, which according to him was “using force to suppress the people of Kashmir who are voicing their political protest.”
The Marxist veteran had objected to Rawat’s interview in which he had suggested it would have been easier for the armed forces if the protesters were firing weapons instead of throwing stones. Karat said the statement was a needless provocation and was “unbecoming of a senior Army officer.”
