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‘Must prepare’: Defence chief says Afghanistan crisis can ‘overflow’ into Kashmir
General Bipin Rawat said that while it is true that the locals and tourists in Jammu & Kashmir may have to face the burden of heavy checking as a result of the high level of alert, they should understand that it is for their own safety and security.
Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat said on Sunday that an “overflow” of the Afghanistan situation can happen in Jammu & Kashmir and that India must “prepare for it.”
Speaking on the sidelines of an event in Guwahati, the four-star general of the Indian Army said after the Taliban takeover of the war-torn land of Afghanistan, it becomes especially important for India to keep an eye out on Kashmir's borders. “What is happening in Afghanistan, we know its overflow can happen in Jammu and Kashmir,” CDS Gen Rawat was quoted as saying. “We have to prepare for it, seal our borders, monitoring has become very important. We have to keep an eye on who's coming from outside, checking should be done.”
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General Bipin Rawat said that while it is true that the locals and tourists in Jammu & Kashmir may have to face the burden of heavy checking as a result of the high level of alert, they should understand that it is for their own safety and security. In a similar vein, the defence chief said that every citizen in India should get themselves educated about internal security.
“Nobody will come to our defence, we have to defend ourselves, defend our people, and defend our property,” he said. “Internal security is very much a concern for us and in order to defend, I think we must actually educate our people about internal security.”
Not only must citizens get themselves educated on the subject, but also fulfil their duties towards internal security, General Rawat posited.
“If every citizen plays his and her part, you can deal with the situation,” he said, adding, “People come and live in your neighbourhood; you must know who lives in your neighbourhood. No terrorist can stay in our neighbourhood if we are agile. Every citizen should question if they feel suspicious about anyone and inform the local police about it.”
