Indian media reports reveal that the Chief of the Indian Army, General Bipin Rawat, had a meeting with the BJP Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, in New Delhi. The “important meeting” was also attended by Indian Air Chief RKS Bhadauria and Navy Chief Admiral Karambir Singh.
Army Chief General Bipin Rawat, Navy Chief Admiral Karambir Singh and IAF Chief Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria called on Defence Minister Rajnath Singh at his office in Delhi today. pic.twitter.com/eEXd44GxNl
— ANI (@ANI) October 28, 2019
Reports suggest that this meeting comes during the tense background of military strife along the Line of Control (LoC). India continues to blame Pakistan for undertaking “ceasefire violations to infiltrate terrorists” despite its own heinous targeting of civilians in Azad Jammu & Kashmir.
AJK is Ours: Rawat
Addressing a ceremony of the launch of the honorary postal stamp for India’s Siachen Warriors, General Bipin Rawat made a series of irresponsible and inciting statements with regards to Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and Gilgit Baltistan.
He said, “Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) is ours”.
Discussing the abrogation of occupied Kashmir’s special constitutional status, General Bipin Rawat said that Article 370 was a “temporary provision in the Constitution of India.” He claimed that “Gilgit Baltistan and PoK have always been a part of India”.
Rawat alleged that AJK is being “illegally controlled” by Pakistan, and further added that AJK is “under the control of terrorists”.
Read more: DG ISPR grills Indian army chief: You have innocent blood on your hands
The Indian Army Chief claimed, “And when we say ‘Jammu and Kashmir as a whole’, we also mean PoK and Gilgit Baltistan. Therefore, PoK and Gilgit Baltistan become an occupied territory, a territory that has been illegally occupied by our western neighbour.”
Commenting on Article 370 of the Indian Constitution, Rawat claimed, “In Article 370’s subparagraph three, it is very clearly mentioned that it is temporary in nature. When Article 370 was introduced with the word ‘temporary’ then there was no objection from Pakistan.”
https://twitter.com/peaceforchange/status/1188923462112501761
“This article has been amended twice, where the leadership of Jammu and Kashmir was designated to the Sadr-e-Riyasat, later on, the Prime Minister and then the Chief Minister. Therefore, why is it that Pakistan has suddenly woke up and raised the ante on the abrogation of Article 370?”
The Indian Army Chief continued, “This is because this territory that has been illegally occupied by Pakistan is not controlled by the Pakistani establishment, it is controlled by terrorists. PoK is actually a terrorist-controlled part of Pakistan.”
Indian Army Chief: An Embarrassment
Director-General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Major General Asif Ghafoor, has, time and again, countered the “embarrassing” statements and false claims made by the Indian Army Chief General Bipin Rawat, chiding him for being an embarrassment for the Indian nation.
Last week, DG ISPR chided the Indian Army Chief for “provoking war” with his irresponsible statements, only to pursue the agendas of his “political masters”.
Indian COAS repeatedly provoking war through irresponsible statements endangering regional peace for electioneering of political masters. From fake surgical strike todate his only success has been to turn Indian Army into a rogue force and getting them killed.(1of2).
— DG ISPR (@OfficialDGISPR) October 25, 2019
Major General Asif Ghafoor said, “Indian COAS repeatedly provoking war through irresponsible statements endangering regional peace for electioneering of political masters. From fake surgical strike to date his only success has been to turn Indian Army into a rogue force and getting them killed.”
Read more: Indian Army Chief Threatens to Attack & Occupy Azad Kashmir
DG ISPR added, “Indian Army Chief’s statements coupled with the blood of innocents on hand, losses to Indian forces at the hands of Pakistan Armed Forces, heli crashes due to so-called tech fault cum fratricide just to become Indian CDS is actually at the cost of the professional military ethos.”
Indian Army Chief’s statements coupled with blood of innocents on hand, losses to Indian forces at the hands of Pakistan Armed Forces, heli crashes due to so called tech fault cum fratricide just to become Indian CDS is actually at the cost of professional military ethos.(2of2).
— DG ISPR (@OfficialDGISPR) October 25, 2019