Early Times Report
Jammu, July 1: Army veteran and former Northern Army Commander Lt Gen Deependra Singh Hooda has again spoken on Jammu & Kashmir and expressed in favour of talks to end the conflict. He has also said that he was a little sceptical about ceasefire agreement.
"I'm a bit sceptical about this ceasefire agreement. The Directors-General of Military Operations (DGMOs) might have agreed on something, but unless it has some strong foundation, it is bound to cut loose. That's why it broke down almost immediately. Unless you talk about the root cause of the problem, it won't work," he said the other day while speaking on the Kashmir situation and Indo-Pakistan relations.
As for talks with Pakistan, Gen Hooda said: "I do believe the two countries - India and Pakistan -- must speak to each other. But I also believe that talking to Pakistan won't calm down our internal situation, as they're quite happy with the boiling Kashmir problem. I see no incentive for them to shut the terror tap in the Valley. But talking, I reckon, is always a good thing". As far as the problem in Kashmir, Gen Hooda said: "The problem is, the Valley seems to have decided that everything is wrong. And it merits an immediate introspection from every side. My suggestion is, start with the small steps. Do something to calm the streets. We have a little opportunity to do this with the Governor's Rule".
"Normally, when a government is dismissed, one will find political constituency coming on the streets saying you've dismissed our government. But you don't find that all here. If people are welcoming Governor's Rule, try and provide good governance and regain some confidence of the people. And then talk about other issues. One has to try to normalize the situation. It's not like thousands of people are joining militancy in Kashmir at the moment. So, let us deal with it...we can deal with it".
But more than that, Gen Hooda was one of the first to authenticate the videos on surgical strikes, which the Congress and similar parties had questioned. It was nearly two years ago that the Indian Army conducted "surgical strikes" on terror launch-pads across the Line of Control (LoC). Video clips surfaced two days ago that showed destruction of bunkers and other military constructions as well as casualties across the Line of Control. Gen Hooda was directly in-charge of the operation. |
