Things in Kashmir have fallen into the right place since Aug 2019, Lt Gen Aujla

Top army commander on Thursday said that things in the Kashmir Valley have fallen into the place particularly after August 5 2019 when the government of India abrogated the special status of the erstwhile state and downgraded it into two federally administered union territoriesAsked to compare the situation in Kashmir today with that of the time he arrived in the Valley as a young officer around 30 years ago General Officer Commanding of Chinar Corps Lieutenant General A D S Aujla said things have now fallen into placeWhen we look back at the situation when I first came here things were on the boil they had to be controlled Today I can say with a certain amount of honesty that in the last 30 years and particularly in the last three threeandahalf years since August 2019 things have fallen into the right place he saidLt Gen Aujla said the situation in Kashmir has improved vastly over the last few years but the time is not ripe yet for the army to go back to the barracks a senior officer said hereThe number of active terrorists in the valley is at its lowest in the last 34 years General Officer Commanding of Chinar Corps Lieutenant General A D S Aujla told PTI TV in an exclusive interviewIn Sha Allah but I think the time is not ripe at this point in time We still have to see a lot of good things happening before we can take a call Let it be a deliberate one I wont comment on the timelines per se nor would I say that it is the wrong time or the right time Lt Gen Aujla saidThe GOC said the army is just a tool in the plans of the government to ensure that Kashmir prospers flourishes and blossomsWe will work collectively with the state administration with the other agencies so that we can see the better Kashmir before we can take a call It is a national call and it will be taken appropriately at the right time he addedThe officer said normalcy and peace in Kashmir was achieved after a lot of sacrifices and hard workAlso readTwo alleged LashkareToiba militant associates arrested in Jammu and Kashmirs BaramullaBeing a soldier myself I think this is the place where the sacrifices of the soldiers the sacrifices of so many agencies the administration the people who have been involved in the daily dynamics of this place have made a difference You can say at this point of time the silver lining is definitely on the horizon he saidIt was a gradual process that went on over the last so many years and there is still a lot of ground which needs to be covered he saidAt least we are on the right path whatever the Army does or whatever the sister agencies do the developmental work by the UT administration has changed the narrative in a big way There is a huge change on the ground in every domain every segment every sphere he saidAsked if the presence of militants in south Kashmir was a cause of concern he said there was some visibility of militants but the challenge is to weed them out further lower the numbersI wont specify the numbers because numbers do not give the correct picture but it suffices to say that we have been able to control this particular aspect and we have got it down to numbers which are very very far and fewSo that should be an aspect of great credibility for every agency and of course the Army is the major role player in all this he saidIn response to a question on the ability of terrorists to strike during big events Lt Gen Aujla said while there is an inclination among the ultras the security forces were in great shape to control the situationThe propensity is definitely there Even one individual can create a lot of trouble But with the type of efforts synergy and domination being put in by every agency and the army has the largest footprints I think we are in a fair amount of control of the situationWhatsoever we can do and whatsoever we want to achieve to make the others comfortable I think we are in a great shape to look after the interests of security within the Valley at this point he said PTI