New Delhi: Army Chief Gen Dalbir Singh Suhag on Saturday asked his commanders to "continuously assess" the situation in view of the security transition taking place in the neighbourhood and directed them to maintain relentless pressure on terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir to ensure peaceful polls.
In his address on culmination of the Army Commanders Conference here, Gen Singh also expressed satisfaction over the situation in North East and stressed upon all stakeholders to be made a part of the conflict resolution mechanism.
While addressing the external security concerns, he asked the commanders to continuously assess the situation in the sub-continent with respect to the force and security transition taking place and its concomitant effect on the nation's security, Army sources said.
His remarks came in the backdrop of NATO forces starting the process of withdrawing from war-torn Afghanistan.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while on a visit to the US in September, had cautioned the American government against hasty withdrawal of its troops from Afghanistan, citing the mistakes committed while pulling out from Iraq.
On the internal security plane, the Army chief stressed on the need to maintain relentless pressure in Jammu and Kashmir so that terrorists could not carry out any meaningful operations to interrupt the forthcoming elections.
He also expressed satisfaction on the situation in North East and stressed upon all stakeholders to be made a part of the conflict resolution mechanism.
Gen Singh praised the Northern and Western commands for their exemplary response to the floods in Jammu and Kashmir which saw spontaneous mobilisation of Army resources, both manpower and equipment, without waiting for any formal requisition.
He lauded the selfless commitment of Indian soldiers, who never once turned back to look at their posts and families that had suffered equally in the floods, the sources said.
The Army should not forget that the human dimension would always remain the biggest battle winning factor, he said, adding the focus must remain on training, equipping and character development of the soldier.
On the issue of modernisation, the Army chief said the force had the support of Defence Minister Arun Jaitley and commitment of the Ministry of Defence towards fulfilling the Army's requirements.
He also exhorted all to streamline and refine in house procedures aimed at preserving and enhancing the life of all service equipment.
Gen Singh expressed hope that the measures being planned to address the issue of shortage in officer cadre would fructify at the earliest.
He also voiced concern over isolated issues of unethical behaviour and directed zero tolerance towards them.
The Chief of Army Staff asked all to stay committed towards welfare of the veterans, who were the "bedrock of the Army" and applauded the recent initiatives including the functioning of Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme.
The Army Chief stressed that the "Indian Army must remain the pride of the nation".
