'Don't test Indian Army's patience': Army chief warns China and Pakistan

By Asianet Newsable English | First Published Jan 15, 2021, 1:41 PM IST

Assuring countrymen, Indian Army Chief General MM Naravane on Friday said that the sacrifice of soldiers in Galwan Valley will not go in vain. Anish Singh reports

Assuring countrymen, Indian Army Chief General MM Naravane on Friday said that the sacrifice of soldiers in Galwan Valley will not go in vain.

Addressing on Army Day parade at Cariappa Parade ground in Delhi, Gen Naravane said, "You all are aware of ongoing tension with China on northern borders. Regarding conspiracy to unilaterally change status quo on borders, a befitting reply was given. I want to assure the country that sacrifice of the bravehearts of Galwan would not go in vain."

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In an indirect reference to China and Pakistan, the chief cautioned them not to test the Indian Army's patience.

"We are committed to finding the resolution of our disputes through discussions and political efforts but no one should commit the mistake of testing our patience," he said.

The troops of India and China have been engaged in a border standoff since last eight months in eastern Ladakh.

Indian troops countered China's PLA when they unilaterally tried to change the status quo at multiple locations in Ladakh region.

The incident had led to violent faceoff on June 15, wherein 20 Indian soldiers attained martyrdom while China suffered 40 casualties.

Pakistan
The Army chief also sent a stern message to Pakistan and said that the Indian Army had killed more than 200 terrorists in a year.

"Around 300-400 terrorists are sitting in training camps near the border to infiltrate into the Indian territory. The number of ceasefire violations went up by 44 per cent last year, which shows the nefarious intentions of Pakistan," Gen Naravane said.

Northeast
The security scenario in the northeastern states has improved a lot. "With our proactive operations, over 600 terrorists have surrendered and we have seized a large cache of arms and ammunition. With the help of the Myanmarese army, we had conducted operations and got huge success."

Modernisation of Indian Army
To deal with the challenges of the 21st century and enhance the war-fighting capabilities, the Indian Army is continuously taking steps towards modernisation and reorganisation. "We have procured arms and ammunition worth Rs 5,000 crore under emergency and fast track schemes and under capital procurement, we have signed contracts of Rs 13,000 crore this year," the Army chief said.

Technology
With leading educational institutions like IITs, works on Artificial Intelligence, blockchain, quantum computing, unmanned systems, directed energy weapons and swarm drones are continuing.

Under the Make in India initiative, the Indian Army has identified 29 projects worth Rs 32,000 crore for its modernisation plan.

Backed by the private sector, MSMEs and academia, the Indian Army is playing an important role in Atmanirbhar Bharat, which will help in promoting Swadeshi technologies and reduce dependence on imports.

Over 3,000 officers and jawans from friendly foreign countries were trained in our training institutes in one year.

UN Peacekeeping
Over 5300 Indian soldiers are serving at 8 different UN Peacekeeping missions across the globe. They are serving is tough conditions and making India proud.

Covid-19
The army has established 12 quarantine facilities and taken care of Indians evacuated from abroad. Across 113 military hospitals, 13,000 beds were dedicated for defence personnel and civilians.

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