"Who says talks are not going on?": Army Chief General Bipin Rawat speaks on J&K interlocutor, elaborates on efforts to help youth

Army Chief General Bipin Rawat on Monday spoke at length about the government's attempts at speaking to various people in Jammu and Kashmir, while elaborating on the forces' attempts to stop youngsters taking up arms and militancy.

Taking and answering questions, the COAS put forth that the central government has tasked an interlocutor to hold parleys with the people of Kashmir, including separatists, and added that the Centre's interlocutor is open to holding talks with anyone who wants to speak to him though nothing can be done if the 'separatists' don't wish to come to the negotiation table.

"If you look at the government policy, it is a very clear-cut policy. We will not allow terrorists to create violence in our society and therefore anyone who creates violence will be neutralized. At the same time, an interlocutor has been tasked by the government to talk to people in the Valley. So, I don't understand as to what are they trying to say. There is an interlocutor, Dineshwar Sharma, moving around talking to people in the Valley. He saying 'I am open to talk to anybody. Anybody who wants to come and speak to me can come and speak'. Who says talks are not going on?"

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"Mr Sharma is the government interlocutor to talk to these people. If they don't want to listen to him then I don't know how further can we go. But to say that the head of the state will come and talk to these people then I don't think that will happen", he added.   

He further stressed upon the necessity of bringing about new and different policies. He said that nothing can be gained by repeating and adopting the same policies. 

"See, we have to keep changing the policy. You cannot keep adopting a policy which you keep repeating because the other side also understands your policy and start looking at something different. So, your policies have to be reviewed and we have to always remain ahead of the adversary. So we are making sure that young boys don't join militancy anymore. First is to focus at them and tell them it is not worth joining militancy because you will not live long. And then those who have joined militancy, we are approaching their families to tell them that we still give you an opportunity if you can come out of insurgency and surrender and forget this gun as I said you will not live long".

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Giving out a clear warning to those who indulge in spreading violence in the Valley, he said: 

"If people do not behave and continue with the violence then the only element left is to neutralize them. And as far as the adversary is concerned, it is not tit for tat it has to be more than that. That is why we are continuously engaging the adversary. What we are doing we don't tell"