Army chief Gen MM Naravane visits Kashmir on 100th day eve of India-Pakistan ceasefire

Chief of Army Staff Gen MM Naravane lands in Srinagar beginning his two-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir, on June 2 to review the situation along the Line of Control (LoC) and counter-insurgency operations in the Union Territory.

The visit comes in the backdrop of the ceasefire between India and Pakistan along the LoC entering the 100th day.

"The Army chief would be in Srinagar today to review the situation on ground along with the top military commanders there from the 15 Corps which looks after both counter-terrorism and counter-infiltration operations in the valley," Army sources were quoted by news agency ANI.

General Naravane will also visit the forward positions in the Kashmir Valley to review the operational preparedness of the troops to any possible attempts by the terrorists to carry out infiltration, the agency report said.

India and Pakistan had on February 25 agreed for a “strict observance of all agreements, understandings and cease firing along the Line of Control (LoC) and all other sectors.” This agreement was reached after talks between the Director Generals of Military Operations (DGMO) of both countries during discussions over the established hotline.

On June 1, Northern Army Commander Lieutenant General YK Joshi said that the ceasefire understanding between India and Pakistan is being followed in "letter and spirit" by both sides and that there has been no ceasefire violation since the date of the agreement.

"The Ceasefire Understanding (CFU) reached on February 25, 2021, has sustained since then and both sides (India-Pak) are abiding by the arrangement in letter and spirit," he told news agency PTI. The Lieutenant General, however, asserted that the Indian Army is not letting its guard down "even for one bit" along the border in the state.

Sources said that the National Security Advisor Ajit Doval had a key role in the ongoing ceasefire agreement which has resulted in peace on both sides of the LoC for such a long period. The two countries had earlier signed a ceasefire agreement in 2003 but it was violated, as per reports.