Centre Authorises Army Chief To Call Back Territorial Army Amid Tensions With Pakistan

Amid escalating tensions between Delhi and Islamabad after Pakistani troops fired a barrage of drones and missiles on several Indian cities, the Centre has authorised the Chief of Army Staff, General Upendra Dwivedi, to call up officers enrolled with the Territorial Army.

The Territorial Army is known as the second line of defence and can be asked to assist the Indian forces in times of tension.

In an order dates May 8, the Ministry of Defence has empowered Chief of Army Staff General Upendra Dwivedi to exercise the powers under the Rule -33 of the Territorial Army Rule 1948, to “call out every officer and every enrolled person of the Territorial Army to provide for essential guard or to be embodied for the purpose of supporting or supplementing the regular army".

“Out of the existing 32 Infantry Battalions (Territorial Army), embodiment of 14 Infantry Battalions (Territorial Army) for deployment in the areas of Southern Command, Eastern Command, Western Command, Central Command, Northern Command, South Western Command, Andaman and Nicobar Command and Army Training Command (ARTRAC)," the statement said.

Pakistan has been targeting civilian and military infrastructure across northern and western states after Indian Armed Forces carried out "focused, measured and non-escalatory" strikes at nine "known terror" locations in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) early Wednesday. Terror infrastructure, including the Jaish-e-Mohammad stronghold of Bahawalpur and Lashkar-e-Taiba's base in Muridke, were demolished in Indian's retaliation for the terror attack in Pahalgam.

In the night, Pakistan attempted to strike 15 sites in India, which were successfully foiled by the Indian security forces. India on Thursday morning targeted Pakistani air defence systems at multiple cities with one in Lahore being "neutralised".

Following this, Pakistan on Thursday night launched a barrage of missiles and drones targeting multiple civilian and military sites across India. In response, India, until now focused on precise and restrained retaliatory strikes, delivered a proportionate counteroffensive. Pakistan reportedly lost five fighter jets, including an F-16, as India targeted strategic locations in Islamabad, Lahore, and Sialkot. India has maintained its "commitment to non-escalation, provided it is respected by the Pakistani military."

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