Srinagar: Asserting that the children of Kashmir valley are the hope of the nation, a senior Army commander on Thursday said that the anti-militancy operations in the state are conducted in a professional and dedicated manner.

Army’s Northern Command chief Lt Gen Ranbir Singh said there are always some distractions which work against the interests of the country.

‘It is to the credit of our children, their parents and our teachers that we have been able to ensure that there has been no disruption in the education, which we are trying to impart to the children in these schools,’ Lt Gen Singh told reporters on the sideline of a function at Wuzur, about 4 km from Qazigund, on Srinagar-Jammu national highway on Thursday.

He said the ‘children of Kashmir are our hope’ and he is sure that in the times to come they will work hard.

‘They have a huge potential and they will become useful members of the society and take us on the trajectory of growth and development as far as Kashmir and the nation is concerned,’ he added.

The commander said the Army has a very strong code of conduct which values human dignity and the values of the society. ‘So I wish to assure you that all the operations by the Army in Jammu and Kashmir are being carried out in a professional and dedicated manner,’ he said.

Answering a question, Lt Gen Singh said, ‘Wherever there are actions to be taken, those are taken at appropriate levels.’

Lt Gen Singh made these remarks at Army Goodwill School, Wuzur, which was on Thursday renamed after Lance Naik Nazir Ahmad Wani, who was awarded Ashok Chakra posthumously in January this year.

Wani was killed in an encounter at Batagund in south Kashmir district of Kulgam in November last year. Six militants were killed in the operation. The slain soldier was later awarded Ashok Chakra, India’s highest peacetime gallantry award, for his role in the operation.

Lt Gen Singh said, ‘It is a matter of great pride for all of us to be here at Army Goodwill School at Wuzur because today we have dedicated this school to pay homage to our martyr late Lance Naik Wani.’

‘Wani was also two times recipient of the Sena medal for gallantry by the government of India,’ Lt Gen Singh said.