NEW DELHI: Army chief General Bipin Rawat on Saturday said that the country’s surveillance and intelligence capabilities have grown immensely since the Kargil conflict 20 years ago.
His claim came in response to the remark by former army chief General (retd) VP Malik, who pinpointed surveillance and intelligence as the biggest failures during the infamous skirmish in the snowy heights of Kargil. The Kargil intrusion took place during Malik’s tenure.
Speaking at a seminar on 20 years of Kargil, organised by the Centre for Land Warfare Studies (CLAWS), in Delhi, General (retd) Malik said, “It was surveillance failure over 160 kilometres which led to the Kargil intrusion. We’re not aware of it for one-and-a-half to two months.”
Rawat said, “Our surveillance capabilities have grown immensely since Kargil. We have now acquired the wherewithal to ensure proper surveillance. We have revisited our capabilities within a reasonable time frame to ensure that such intrusions don’t happen again.”
No intrusion, says Rawat
Confirming the protest by Chinese civilians in Demchok Sector in the LAC on July 6, Army Chief General Bipin Rawat said that they could have not come without the help of People’s Liberation Army soldiers. He said, “Celebrations were on in our side of Demchok sector. There was no intrusion.”