Srinagar, January 07 (KNO) : As the tenure of present general officer commanding of Srinagar-based 15 Corps lieutenant general A K Bhat nears completion, a massive hunt has been launched by the army top brass in New Delhi to select a face for the prime post who has a “well-know how of the Kashmir situation,” reliable sources disclosed to KNO on Monday.
Sources in the army said that Bhat’s two-year stint as the head of the Kashmir’s army strength is completing in the next month and that Delhi has started a search for his successor.
“During Bhat’s tenure, Kashmir witnessed massive crackdown on the militancy with the result 250 militants were killed alone in 2018. For doing a commendable job, Bhat has been lauded for his role as the GoC of elite 15 Corps,” a source in the army told KNO over phone from New Delhi.
Bhat had been maintaining that a “close synergy between police and the other forces” holds key for the successful anti-militancy operations. The GoC Bhat took over as the chief of 15 Corps in February 2018 and the year saw a almost 100 operations against the militants resulting in the killing of over 15 commanders of Jaish-e-Muhamamd, Hizbul Mujahideen and Lashkar-e-Toiba besides 250 militants of these outfits.
Now that Bhat is moving to new posting, most probably in Delhi, sources in the army revealed that army top brass in Delhi has started a search for the replacement of Bhat and few names have been zeroed in. “The final name will be choosen soon. It is been decided that the army officer to be posted as the new head of 15 Corps, must have full know-how of the Kashmir situation.(KNO)