SRINAGAR, July 9: Kashmir has always been a priority for successive heads of the Indian Army, for obvious reasons, but for the incumbent General Bikram Singh, the valley holds a special place in his heart, he says.
Singh shared his close association with the Kashmir Valley while interacting with children from the conflict-ridden area.
“The valley is always on my mind . I have shed blood there,” General Singh was quoted by wire agency UNI as saying.
The school children from the valley had gone to meet the army chief as part of their countrywide tour ‘Watan ki Sair’.
The tour is conducted by the Army under Operation Sadbhavana which they say is their effort to bring people into the mainstream Indian society.
Receiving the students at the Army headquarter in New Delhi, General Singh narrated how he was shot at during an encounter in his earlier posting in the state.
“Vaadi toh mere Zehan mein hai, maine khoon bahaya ha wahan, maine goli khaayee thi (The valley is in my mind, I have shed my blood and have taken bullets),” he said in chaste Hindi and exhorted the students to join the army.
The army chief expressed satisfaction over the improvement in situation in the valley. He expressed the hope that the younger generation of the state would live in peaceful atmosphere.
“How many of you would like to join army?” he asked and almost all the students raised their hands in affirmation, UNI reported.
“Remain committed and be focused in your approach to achieve your goal,” he said while giving tips to these students on how to achieve success in life.
Vice chief of army staff Lt General SK Singh, who was also present on the occasion, ruled out any reduction of troops from the valley.
“Pressure should remain to retain the peaceful atmosphere in the state,” he said.
Lt Gen Singh denied the media reports that some battalions were being moved from Jammu and Kashmir to the north-eastern region of the country.
“The report is baseless. This is not even under consideration,” he added.
