Army officer asks men to 'not fall prey' to social media

Faced with an onslaught of "misinformation campaign" against the force, Northern Army Commander Lt General D S Hooda has asked his officers and men to "not fall prey" to print, electronic and social media opinions.
In a letter, he has also asked his men to follow "a nuanced approach" which "balances local aspirations" while fighting proxy war in Jammu and Kashmir.
This, he said, was necessary as metrics for determining success in Counter Insurgency operations have not kept pace with the changing environment.
Army sources said his letter, written nearly 10 days ago, is a response to a "series of misinformation campaign on social media".

Meanwhile, an anonymous WhatsApp message appeared a day after six Pakistani infiltrators attacked an Army unit in Uri on Friday.
The message criticised the Army Commander and the 15 Corps Commander for terming "a mistake" the November 4 killing of two civilians by the Army in Kashmir.

The WhatsApp message is said to be written by a young Army officer but sources in the Army headquarters ruled out such a possibility.
In his letter to all GsOC, which would be further disseminated down to the units, Lt Gen Hooda said, "Today, all of us in Northern Command are confronted with unique challenges, and the manner in which we face them will determine not only how the nation views its Army, but more importantly, how we view ourselves."

He said the print, electronic and social media are powerful tools which sway not only public opinion but also the sentiments of Army's own officers and men.
"Let us not fall prey to them. The only way to counter this is by our own courage of conviction that what we are doing is professionally correct and honourable," he said.
Even though Army officers and men have brought the proxy war in J&K under control, with immense courage and sacrifice, he said this peace remains fragile.