'People will defy threat to bus'

Army Chief General J J Singh on Thursday assured that the armed forces would do 'whatever possible' to provide security to the passengers on the Srinagar-Musaffarabad bus.

The assurance comes a day after four militant groups threatened to blow up the inaugural bus on April 7.

General Singh described the threat as a 'desperate and anti-people act'. The army chief was addressing a function to award the best marching contingents of this year's Republic Day parade.

"The state government and the security forces are determined to make the bus a success. We will do everything possible to provide security," he said.

Singh said the people would defy the threats, as it was an opportunity for divided families to come together.

The army chief said his forces were conducting targetted anti-militancy operations in Jammu and Kashmir and 63 militants had been killed in March.

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