Northern Army Commander Lt Gen Pratik Sharma reviewed the security situation in Kashmir, engaging with commanders and agencies to address the evolving challenges.
The government has appointed Lieutenant General NS Raja Subramani (Retd) as the next Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), who shall also function as the secretary to the government of India, department of military affairs, with effect from the date of assumption of charge and until further orders.
In appointing Lt Gen Dwivedi, the government followed the seniority principle.
The "eyeball to eyeball" deployment and the dynamic internal security situation in the JK make Northern Command the most unique theatre.
Present vice chief Lt Gen BS Raju would be succeeding Lt Gen AS Bhinder who is superannuating on February 28 at the South Western Army Command.
The Indian Army has neutralized a terrorist in Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir during an encounter with security forces. The Northern Army Commander Lieutenant General M V Suchindra Kumar commended the troops for their swift action and reiterated the army's commitment to keeping the region terror-free.
Officers at Army headquarters say the chief has personally initiated this reshuffle, reports Ajai Shukla
Lt Gen NS Raja Subramani (retd) has been appointed as India's next Chief of Defence Staff, succeeding Gen Anil Chauhan. Vice Admiral Krishna Swaminathan has been named the next Chief of the Naval Staff, succeeding Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi. Lt Gen Subramani's primary mandate will be to implement the military theaterisation plan and bolster tri-services synergy.
Lt Gen K Surendranath took over as chief of staff of Southern Army Command on Monday. He was commissioned into 71 Armoured Regiment in 1975 and later went on to command the same regiment, a defence ministry release said.
The Northern Command looks after the Sino-Indian border in Ladakh and a 940 km stretch of Line-of-Control with Pakistan stretching from just beyond Kargil to Chamb sector in Jammu.
The commander said the situation in the region has been stable and no major "changes or palpable shift of stance has been noted" even as the Indian and Chinese troops are engaged in a stand-off in Demchok and Depsang in eastern Ladakh.
Lt Gen Zubair Hayat appointed as Chairman of Joint Chief of Staff Committee.
The Army has appointed Lt Gen NPS Hira as Deputy Chief of Army Staff with effect from March 14.
Lieutenant General P C Bhardwaj, a special operations expert, on Thursday took over as Vice Chief of the Army. Lt Gen Bhardwaj, who was commissioned to the First Battalion Parachute Regiment in June 1970, was hitherto the Udhampur-based Army Northern Command General Officer Commanding-in-Chief.
Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi visited Kashmir to review the security situation following the Pahalgam attack earlier this week that left 26 people dead, mostly tourists. The visit comes less than 24 hours after Pakistan resorted to small arms firing along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir.
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday chose Lt Gen Asim Munir as the new Army chief to replace incumbent General Qamar Javed Bajwa.
He will replace the present incumbent General Joginder Jaswant Singh, who retires on September 30.
Asserting that the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir has seen a "tremendous improvement and stabilisation" since August 2019, a top Army commander said the Union territory is regaining its past glory and peace through sacrifices of the security forces and people.
Around 300 terrorists are present in Jammu and Kashmir, while 160 others are waiting on the launchpads for an opportunity to sneak into this side from across the Line of Control (LoC) in Pakistan, a top army commander said on Tuesday.
'The Indian Army is there to give a second chance to any youth who accepts his mistakes and wants to surrender and come back to the mainstream. We, the uniformed forces, are here to save lives and not to take lives. The system, the entire administration, will facilitate not only their surrender but also ensure that they are well integrated back into the mainstream,' Lt Gen Y K Joshi said.
Lt Gen Dwivedi, who was referring to the clash between the Indian soldiers and Chinese troops in the Galwan Valley in June 2020, also said that PLA's aggression in eastern Ladakh was met with "swift mobilisation and appropriate force posturing".
Lt Gen Sanjiv Chachra, GOC-in-C, Northern Command visited army units and formations in the valley and reviewed the operational preparedness along the Line of Control and security situation in the hinterland.
Three security force personnel were injured in a fresh firefight as the anti-terror operation in Jammu and Kashmir's Kulgam district entered its seventh day. The Army's Northern Commander reviewed the security situation in South Kashmir.
Army's Northern Command, popularly known as 'Dhruva Command', on Wednesday celebrated its 44th Raising Day as its chief Lt Gen DS Hooda encouraged the troops to continue maintaining their "exalted standards" through professionalism, dedication and devotion to duty.
Northern Army commander Lieutenant General Upendra Dwivedi on Monday said the targeted killings of Kashmiri Pandits and non-local labourers by militants was to keep terrorism alive in Kashmir.
The local recruitment of terrorists in the Pakistan-sponsored terror groups is also very low as only four locals have joined these groups this year, Army officials told ANI.
The chief of Northern Command Lt Gen KT Parnaik -- has in a message to the rank and file made it clear that no deviation from laid-down procedures or indiscipline will be tolerated in his area of responsibility
The Indian Army is equipping its infantry battalions with drone platoons and raising elite commando units as part of a modernization drive to enhance combat capabilities along the northern and western frontiers. The Army is also procuring new carbines and upgrading its arsenal with advanced weaponry.
"Now how much should it have been politicised, whether it is right or wrong is something that should be asked to politicians," he said.
Lt Gen S Pattabhiraman was named as the new vice chief of the army staff on Thursday.
as journalists active in Pakistani media have been quick to point out, with Ghafoor at the helm in Balochistan, no one will take seriously any claims by the civilian leadership to use the velvet glove to work for peace there, points out Rana Banerji, who headed the Pakistan desk at the Research and Analysis Wing, India's external intelligence agency.He did not hesitate to pejorate developments in India at the slightest opportunity, points out Rana Banerji, who headed the Pakistan desk at the Research and Analysis Wing, India's external intelligence agency.
Referring to the developments in Ladakh in the wake of Chinese aggression, he said disengagement with People's Liberation Army was completed from various areas in a peaceful manner and efforts are on through dialogue for disengagement from other areas.
Lieutenant General Upendra Dwivedi, the general officer commanding-in-chief of the Northern Command, said five of the seven friction points in eastern Ladakh, where the Indian Army and the Chinese PLA are locked in a standoff since May 2020, have been resolved and talks are underway for the remaining areas.
Lt Gen Singh also said necessary security arrangements had been put in place to ensure peace and security.
The army chief's visit comes a week after protests against alleged molestation of a girl by a soldier in Handwara and subsequent firing by security forces that left three persons dead.
The bullet-proof Army vehicle, carrying a total of 17 personnel, was heading towards a high altitude post when its driver lost control and the vehicle plunged into a 200-foot-deep gorge.
Gen Singh also discussed with Mehbooba the security arrangements for the by-polls to Anantnag assembly constituency from where the chief minister is contesting, the spokesman said. The polling will take place on June 22.
The government is set to begin the process soon to appoint the next Chief of Defence Staff with Army Chief Gen MM Naravane emerging as the front-runner for the top post that fell vacant following the demise of Gen Bipin Rawat in a helicopter crash.
The army chief also complimented the troops on ground for showing maximum restraint even in the face of grave provocation.
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