In touch with families, civil society, preachers to bring back gun-wielding youth: Army Chief Rawat

Drass (Kargil): Warning Pakistan of a befitting reply, the Army chief General Bipin Rawat on Friday appealed to Kashmiri youth to shun guns and look after their families for a better and peaceful future and stated that the army is trying hard to motivate families of “misguided” youth to return back and live a normal life.
“Any local youth who picks up the gun is no longer innocent,”, Army Chief Bipin Rawat told media men after laying wreath at Kargil War Memorial as part of celebration of 20 years of Operation Vijay.
He said that army is trying hard to motivate families of these “misguided” youth to compel them to shun guns and come back to the mainstream. “We are trying to approach civil society, preachers, parents, and siblings of militants to make them understand,” the army chief said. He said that no parent wants his children to do PhD only to become a militant.
The Army Chief General Bipin Rawat Friday said that Kashmir is no longer an issue with the international community as Pakistan has been singled out by the global community.
Talking to reporters at Drass on the eve of Vijay diwas, General Rawat said that Kashmir is no longer an issue with the International community and that Pakistan would try its best to send infiltrators into this side to keep Kashmir on a boil. He said every time infiltration takes place, they will be sent back or eliminated on the LoC only.
Replying to a query how can the other part of Kashmir be retrieved, the Army chief said that it has to be a political decision. “We have to wait for government’s decision as to how that part can be retrieved,” he said, adding that in 1947, when Pakistani intruders tried to invade Kashmir, they were pushed back and some part of Kashmir remained with them which is known as “Pakistan occupied Kashmir.”
Meanwhile, President Ramnath Kovind, who was supposed to attend wreath laying ceremony at Drass, Kargil to pay homage to Kargil war heroes couldn’t reach the venue due to the bad weather. He later flew to Badamibagh cantonment and paid rich tributes to Kargil war heroes and also laid flowers at the war memorial.