General KT Parnaik says Army prepared to face any trouble

Jammu, Mar 30 (ANI): General Officer Commanding-In-Chief, Northern Command , Lt General KT Parnaik has stated that the Northern Command was prepared to face any trouble from neighbouring countries.

He was commenting on the a leaked letter on national security written by Army chief General V K Singh to the Prime Minister that sparked national controversy.

Talking to media here, Parnaik said: "The Northern Command is well prepared . There are reasons behind the speculations that are being made but as far as Jammu and Kashmir is concerned I assure you that everything is fine."

Referring to the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir, Gen Parnaik said, "The security situation in Jammu and Kashmir is fine. We are fully prepared to deal with any situation in our area of operation."

According to reports, the army chief's letter, sent to the Prime Minister's Office on March 12, has asked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to take suitable steps to enhance the preparedness of the country's armed forces.

He has claimed that the army's tanks are "devoid of critical ammunition to defeat enemy tanks" and air defence is "97 percent obsolete and it doesn't give the deemed confidence to protect...from the air."

General Singh and Defence Minister Antony are facing a controversy with the former disclosing on Monday that he was offered a 14-crore bribe in 2010 to clear 600 sub-standard trucks for the army in August-September 2010. (ANI)