Defence panel seeks report from army on incursions

New Delhi: The Standing Committee on Defence will hold a meeting next week to discuss the preparedness of the armed forces on the threat perception of incursions against the backdrop of such incidents on the borders with China and Pakistan. The committee has already held one meeting on this issue on Wednesday where certain questions were raised by the members from the armed forces which are expected to be answered next week.[caption id=“attachment_1167341” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Locked in gunfight. PTI[/caption] “Some questions were asked during the meeting by the MPs and we need to discuss them further in the meeting next week,” Standing Committee chairman Raj Babbar told reporters in New Delhi. The meeting is taking place at a time when Pakistan-backed terrorists attempted to infiltrate into the Keran sector resulting in a 15-day operation by the Army there. China has also been carrying out frequent incursions on the Line of Actual Control (LAC). The Committee will also discuss the coordination mechanism of the armed forces with the Central Armed Police Forces and border connectivity through road, air and rail. Asked to comment on a report that suggested that Babbar and a few other MPs had abruptly ended the last meeting of the panel on the pretext of catching flights, Babbar said, “Which chairman was going to catch a flight? The information should be good and correct. The other side should also be asked. Why were they not asked?” He said the Standing Committee was proud of the Keran operations where the forces were successful in not getting injuries to own people. The reports suggested that the meeting was ended abruptly when the Army was giving a secret briefing on the Keran operations and the ways to tackle incursion on borders. PTI