Kashmiris know they cannot achieve what they desired for: Army Chief

New Delhi, Jan 17: The Army Chief Bipin Rawat has said that people in Kashmir have got tired and have realized that they cannot achieve what they have desired for, said a media report on Wednesday.
Speaking at the Raisina Dialogue 2018 event in New Delhi, General Rawat said: “People of Kashmir in general are getting tired of militancy. It has not given them what they desired for. You cannot cede away from India. People have realised that. Some have got radicalised… I feel most of them want to join the mainstream,” General Rawat said, adding that the deradicalisation campaign needs to continue. “If that continues, we will soon be able to put an end to terrorism in Kashmir.”
He warned that militants’ access to nuclear warfare could mean doom for mankind.
“The threat of nuclear and chemical weapons falling in the hands of militants can be a disaster for humanity,” he said.
In a veiled attack on Pakistan, General Rawat stressed that nations sponsoring militant organisations need to be singled out.
“The militants are using systems which are highly technology enabled and transcending international borders. We need to disrupt militants and their sponsors. Need to identify nations who are sponsors,” he said.
“I understand that in a democratic country people might have issues when we put curbs in place. But it is important to restrict the use of social media to tackle Militancy,” the Army Chief said in his address at the Raisina Dialogue in the national capital.
“Militants are using systems which are highly technology enabled and transcending international borders. We need to disrupt militants and their sponsors. Need to identify nations who are sponsors,” General Rawat added.
The Army Chief also said the threat of nuclear and chemical weapons falling into the hands of militants could spell disaster for humanity.
“Militants are using systems which are highly technology enabled and transcending international borders. We need to disrupt militants and their sponsors. We need to identify nations who are sponsors.” the Army Chief said.
The Army Chief further said Militancy had two sides to it – militant and political.
“It is important to tackle both. Many may argue that there is no point in banning political outfits since they don’t indulge in terror activities directly, but we should not forget that they support it,” he added.
Commenting on ways to counter Militancy, General Rawat said it was imperative to identify who militants were and which are the nations that support Militancy.
“Anyone who uses violence as a means to an end is a militant. We need to identify the nations that have a state-sponsored policy to support Militancy,” he said. Once they are identified, General Rawat added, “The nations had to do their own job. While there should be international support, the nation still needs to work on countering its own militants.”
The Army chief also said it was important to identify where the militants get funds from. General Rawat added that one must “look at where poppy and cannabis grows”.
The Army Chief also listed the importance of biological chemical weapons and the threat that comes with it.
“Militancy is here to stay. Unless all countries come together. Militancy cannot be the new warfare. It has been seen that those nations that support Militancy often become victims of it eventually. So if you want a safe home, then we need to work towards ending it,” General Rawat said.
This is not the first time the Army chief has warned against the possible use of CBRN (chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear) weapons by militant organisations.
“The threat of the use of CBRN (Chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear) weapons is becoming a reality, particularly from the non-state actors,” he said last week.