Army chief General Upendra Dwivedi on Wednesday went to the forward areas of Poonch district on his maiden official visit outside the national capital, the choice of place highlighting the security challenge posed by the broader Pir Panjal region and the adjoining districts.

General Dwivedi has a deep connect with Jammu and Kashmir. He was commissioned into Jammu and Kashmir Rifles in 1984 and eventually became the first officer from the JAKRIF to rise to the position of the army chief.

He served as the chief of Northern Command, based in Jammu’s Udhampur, between 2022 and 2024 before being elevated to army vice-chief in February this year.

Jammu’s Pir Panjal was rocked by several attacks during his tenure as the Northern Command chief.

Seven members of the minority Hindu community were killed and several injured in Dangri on New Year’s Eve last year. Five soldiers were killed on April 20 last year in a daring ambush on the army in Poonch district followed by the deaths of five officers and soldiers in a gunfight in November.

Jammu was recently rocked by four back-to-back attacks that left nine pilgrims and a CRPF jawan dead. Peace had largely prevailed in Jammu after mid-2000s but militancy reemerged as a challenge following the scrapping of special status in 2019.

“#GeneralUpendraDwivedi #COAS, alongwith #ArmyCommander @NorthernComd_IA visited the forward locations of #WhiteKnightCorps (Jammu based 16 corps) & reviewed the security situation along the Line of Control #LOC,” army’s additional-directorate general of public information posted on X.

“#COAS was briefed on the #operational preparedness by the Commanders on ground. #COAS lauded All Ranks for maintaining high standards of professionalism & exhorted them to remain steadfast to meet all current & emerging #security challenges,” he added.

Officials said the army chief visited the brigade headquarters in Poonch where he interacted with the field commanders. The discussion veered around cross-border infiltration and continuing anti-militancy operations in Poonch and Rajouri districts.

Jammu police officer Anand Jain recently said six to seven militant groups were active there. They exclude a group, comprising three militants, who were killed in a gunfight in Jammu’s Doda district last week.

The army said General Dwivedi interacted with the parents of the soldiers from the Pir Panjal region who laid down their lives in the service of the nation.

He also met veterans and assured them of “unwavering support” from the Indian Army.

“He also interacted with officials of @JmuKmrPolice & prominent Civil Dignitaries, and appreciated their #synergy & #cooperation with Indian Army in maintaining peace & harmony in the region,” the army said.