Pakistan changed the demographics of PoK and eroded the identity of Kashmir: army chief | India News

NEW DELHI: India should first solve J & K's problems by adopting an integrated approach to deal with the "hybrid war" unleashed on the other side of the border, instead of hosting the a less immediate idea of ​​the recapture of occupied Kashmir by Pakistan, where Islamabad has cleverly changed the situation. demographics aimed at eroding the identity of Kashmir, said Wednesday General Bipin Rawat.

The head of the military said that India "legitimately claims" all of Kashmir and should not lose sight of the PoK in the long run, but "we should first take the control of our own part of Kashmir "by synergizing the efforts of all security and government. as well as by the effective propagation of our "higher narrative" as a liberal democracy to counter the dominant narrative of lies, indoctrination and radicalization fueled by Pakistan.

"The problem, on the other hand, is that Pakistan has very skilfully transformed the entire population of PoK, Gilgit Baltistan … We do not know exactly who is the real Kashmiri or Punjabi who came to occupy the region. ..the Kashmir identity has been progressively eroded very cleverly by Pakistan, "he said.

Answering questions after delivering a lecture on the theme "Addressing the Challenges of Hybrid Conflict in the 21st Century at IDSA here," Gen Rawat also said that the initiative of the Kartarpur corridor with Pakistan "should be viewed in isolation, without being tied to anything else" and emphasized the Indian government's position that "terror and talks can not go hand in hand".

During the conference, he stated that India had been a victim of the hybrid war – well sequenced, organized and using regular and irregular means to target the enemy's population and infrastructure instead of his military capabilities – since independence.

"Pakistan has used irregulars many times since the J & K operations of 1947-1948, the 1965 war … the misadventure of Kargil was also an example of a hybrid war. The world knows that the terrorist training camps in Pakistan are run by government agencies, "he said, adding that" disruptive techniques "such as rock crowds and schoolboys observed in Kashmir were also part of the hybrid war.

But India, as a country that has never been expansionist and wants peace with all its neighbors, will not use the hybrid offensive war to create unrest in Pakistan as a retaliation. Instead, India must defend itself with a proactive "offensive defense" strategy.

This requires an integrated government strategy and strategy, with greater positive engagement with Kashmiri youth to meet their psychological, social and economic aspirations. "Young people in the region are indoctrinated and radicalized to act irrationally … they must be taken off the street, weaned from the culture of stone destruction," said Gen Rawat.

On the military side, India has the ability to "hit the other side of the border", as was observed during the September 2016 "surgical strikes", but it must prepare carefully a "climbing matrix" because such actions can lead to "bigger" events. . "We have the punitive deterrent capacity against Pakistan. If we have to take such an appeal, we can take it, "he added.