Malik echoes Taliban threat

Asked if a country like Pakistan which backs the Taliban could be affected by developments in Afghanistan, the Army chief said, “Militancy is always a double-edged weapon”. The country’s national security, he said, had not received adequate attention.

“National security is a very important thing but it has not got the focus and attention (it deserves),” he said. To create awareness amongdecision-makers and Members of Parliament, the Army had recently organised an exhibition of sophisticated arms, ammunition,explosives and communication equipment and propaganda material captured from Pakistan-trained militants in Jammu and Kashmir, the Army chief said.

Malik said the situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Jammu and Kashmir, which had witnessed heavy exchanges of artillery fire between Indian and Pakistani forces recently, was “under control”.

To a question on the unprovoked artillery and mortar firing by Pakistan along the LAC whenever an international conference was in progress, he said, “We know of the trend which has been there for the past couple of years.”On the situation in the militancy-hit Valley, the Army chief said the operations had been successful. Ten foreign mercenaries were killed on Monday, he added.

Indian troops, he pointed out, had been participating in United Nations peace keeping operations and working knowledge of computers was “very important”.

Earlier, inaugurating the ITI at Ambala, Malik said the West Bengal and Andhra governments had agreed to the Army’s plansto set up ITIs in Siliguri and Visakhapatnam for rehabilitation of retiring Army personnel and ex-servicemen. Such ITIs, recognised by universities, would be opened across the country, he said, adding efforts were on to set up an information and technology centre at Secunderabad in Andhra Pradesh.