Afghan situation can 'overflow' into J&K, says defence chief

Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat on Saturday said that an “overflow” of the Afghan situation could happen in Jammu and Kashmir, and India must “prepare for it”.

“What is happening in Afghanistan, we know its overflow can happen in Jammu and Kashmir,” General Rawat said.

“We have to prepare for it, seal our borders, monitoring has become very important. We have to keep an eye on who’s coming from outside, checking should be done,” the general  said on the sidelines of an event in Guwahati. He added that after the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, it had become especially important for India to keep an eye out on Kashmir’s borders.

General Rawat said that while it is true that locals and tourists in J&K may have to face the burden of heavy checking as a result of the high-level alert, they should understand that it is for their own safety and security.

Also read: Bunkers and boots back on Srinagar streets in wake of targeted killings

“Nobody will come to our defence, we have to defend ourselves, defend our people, and defend our property,” Gen Rawat said.

“Internal security is very much a concern for us and in order to defend, I think we must actually educate our people about internal security,” the defence chief said, adding that the citizens should also “fulfil their duties” towards internal security.

“If every citizen plays his and her part, you can deal with the situation,” the general said.

“People come and live in your neighbourhood; you must know who lives in your neighbourhood. No terrorist can stay in our neighbourhood if we are agile. Every citizen should question if they feel suspicious about anyone and inform the local police about it.”

(With inputs from Agencies)