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Outgoing Army Chief General Deepak Kapoor on Wednesday blamed Pakistan for "aiding and abetting" infiltration of terrorists into Jammu and Kashmir and apprehended enhanced attempts by them to sneak in this summer.
"We do expect enhanced attempts at infiltration this summer and the trends for that are already there. Infiltration are aided and abetted by our western neighbour," Kapoor told media persons after his farewell Guard of Honour at the South Block lawns in New Delhi.
However, he said, the security forces would tackle such attempts and ensure peace and stability in the border state that has faced insurgency for the last two decades.
"But we are quite sure the security forces would be able to take care of any such attempts at infiltration and ensure a degree of peace and stability in the entire state of Jammu and Kashmir as has been the trend in the year and half or two years," he said.
Asked to comment on the 'unprecedented' advice from the Defence Ministry to him on the Sukna land scam episode, asking him to initiate disciplinary proceedings against then Military Secretary Lt Gen Avadesh Prakash, Kapoor refused to be drawn into a controversy, saying, "We will leave it, it is not the appropriate moment to talk about that."
To a query on his advice to his successor Lt Gen V K Singh, Kapoor, who retires on Wednesday after nearly four decades of service, said all Army Chiefs were "mature" and expressed the hope that Singh too would continue to follow the policies for the good of the Army and the nation.
"All army chiefs are mature and so is my successor. I have no doubt that he will follow policies for the good of the army and the nation," he said.
He felt "no shortfall" during his tenure as the Army chief, Kapoor said, adding plans initiated during his term at the helm of the world's second largest Army would continue and be completed during his successors' time.