Indian Army holds drills along LoC

JAMMU: The Indian Army recently conducted drills in Poonch and Rajouri districts of the occupied Kashmir along the Line of Control.

The training focused on tactical exercises, battle drills, firing practice, counterinsurgency operations and acclimatisation of soldiers to the harsh weather conditions. In the winter, when mountain passes in the high reaches are blocked by snow, Indian troops move into bunkers and carry out long-range patrols to maintain a tight vigil along the frontier. In some places in Rajouri, local militia have been formed to aid the Indian army. The two sides have fought two wars over the territory. Relations have been further strained since last August, when hardline Bharatiya Janata Party-led Modi government revoked the Muslim-majority region’s semi-autonomous status and divided it into the federally governed territories of Jammu- Kashmir and Ladakh, touching off anger on both sides of the occupied Valley.