The Northern Command of the Indian Army will get new sniper rifles, assault rifles and personal protection equipment later this month, Indian Army chief General Bipin Rawat said during the annual briefing held in New Delhi on Thursday. General Rawat said that the new weapons are expected to arrive by January 20.
Rawat added that the Indian Army is also in the process of acquiring new missiles and rockets.
"Defence Research and Development Organisation will be giving us the final timeline as to when the ordered missiles and rockets can be introduced. If they're failing and timelines are not being met, then we go in for the import mechanism," General Rawat told ANI.
The Northern Command which guards the sensitive Line of Control (LoC) bordering India and Pakistan will be able to ace up is surveillance with the new weaponry.
"Army is using quadcopters for surveillance of areas for information if somebody is lying there or you can see some warlike material in an area. Then we try and cautiously approach that area where either there's poor visibility or while taking difficult area," General Rawat said.
Army Chief Gen Bipin Rawat: Army is using quadcopters for surveillance of areas for information if somebody is lying there or you can see some warlike material in an area.Then we try&cautiously approach that area where either there's poor visibility or while taking difficult area pic.twitter.com/DMew0WHQ7q
— ANI (@ANI) January 10, 2019
The sniper rifles are highly efficient weapons designed to shoot from a long distance with precision and also for surveillance. There have also been reports of militants in Kashmir using sniper rifles to target the security forces in the valley, which the Indian Army said is still being investigated.
On the current situation in J&K, Rawat said that attempts are being made by the militants from Pakistan to infiltrate into India and there may be 300 such infiltrators waiting to cross LoC.
He further said that Indian Army doesn't target the civilians intentionally but sometimes it becomes difficult to differentiate between a civilian and a militant during the encounters.
Army Chief Gen Bipin Rawat: India Army as a professional army do not target civilians intentionally, but we do know there are terrorists operating from that soil(western neighbour)who attempt to cross the border. So, it is very difficult to identify b/w a civilian &a terrorist. pic.twitter.com/xB8xFdOYgr — ANI (@ANI) January 10, 2019
He reiterated that there is no scope for third-party intervention in the J&K issue and that the matter has to be resolved between the two nations.
"J&K is a bilateral issue between two nations. There is no place for 3rd party intervention. We have to talk on our terms and conditions. Our terms and conditions are very clear. Come to the negotiation table and let's start talking, but shun the gun, give up violence," General Rawat added.
