Kashmiris Helping Terrorists Are ‘Anti-Nationals’, Says Army Chief Bipin Rawat

A day after four soldiers — among them an army major — died in Kashmir, Army Chief Bipin Rawat indicted it was time terror was controlled from the grass-root level in Kashmir. The army, he said, was not getting support from the local population despite trying to conduct “people-friendly operations”. At a time the terrorists have “graduated” to villages, “harsher measures” were needed to control the local boys, he said.

“We request local population… people who have picked up arms, local boys, if they continue with these acts of terrorism, displaying flags of ISIS and Pakistan, they will be treated as anti-nationals,” General Rawat said. “We request the parents of these boys to counsel them… We will have to continue with harsher measures if need be.”

Former Union Minister P Chidambaram caled the Army Chief’s comments “intemperate” and would be a “wrong approach to Jammu and Kashmir”.