Situation in J-K along LoC, in hinterland under control: New Vice Chief of Army Staff Lt Gen Saini

NEW DELHI: The new Vice Chief of Army Staff Lt Gen S K Saini on Tuesday said the situation in Jammu and Kashmir along both the Line of Control and in the hinterland are under control.
Speaking after receiving the Guard of Honour, Saini said the Army was prepared for all challenges.

"Ceasefire violations have gone up last year. We're fully geared up to meet challenges that come across," he said.

He also said removing hollowness in terms of critical deficiencies of equipment, ammunition, capacity development along the Northern borders will be among his priorities.

"New structures like Chief of Defence Staff created. Aligning the Army headquarters with them to create further jointness will be my priorities" Lt Gen Saini, who took charge as the new vice chief of Indian Army on Tuesday, said.

Saini, who was the Southern Command chief so far is an alumnus of Sainik School, Kapurthala and the National Defence Academy (NDA).

He was commissioned into the Jat Regiment in June 1981.

Lt Gen Saini has also been weapons instructor at the National Security Guards (NSG) Training Centre, a senior directing staff at the National Defence College in New Delhi and the Commandant of the Indian Military Academy.

He also served as the Deputy Chief Military Personnel Officer in UN Mission in Iraq-Kuwait, attended an exercise on peacekeeping conducted by the Global Peace Operations initiative in Mongolia and a counter-terrorism exercise in Australia.

Conferred with the Chief of Army Staff's Commendation, Army Commander's Commendation, the Yudh Seva Medal (YSM), the Vishisht Seva Medal (VSM), and the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM) during his career, Saini also said terrorist launch pads have been reoccupied and their camps are active across the LoC, but India's armed forces were ready to take them on.