*** Indian vets to be re-deployed as security guards in Kashmir: govt | THE DAILY TRIBUNE | KINGDOM OF BAHRAIN

Indian vets to be re-deployed as security guards in Kashmir: govt

AFP | Srinagar

Email : editor@newsofbahrain.com

India Military veterans will be redeployed as security guards in Indian-administered Kashmir, New Delhi said on Saturday, a week after it reached a ceasefire with Pakistan to end their most serious conflict in decades.

The government of Jammu and Kashmir approved a “proposal for mobilising Ex-Servicemen (ESM) to safeguard vital infrastructure across the Union Territory,” according to a government press release.

Around 4,000 veterans have been “identified” as non-combatant volunteers, out of which 435 have licensed personal weapons, it said.

This will help by “significantly enhancing the capacity to respond effectively to localised security situations”, the government added. Veterans will work in “static guard” roles, focusing on “presence-based deterrence and local coordination”.

A similar veteran volunteer programme took place with 2,500 veterans during the Covid-19 pandemic, according to the government.