Army chief General MM Naravane on Wednesday said the revocation of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status under Article 370 of the Constitution was a “historic step” and would connect the region to the rest of the country, PTI reported. Naravane was speaking at an Army Day function in New Delhi.

The newly appointed Army chief said the decision on Jammu and Kashmir had disrupted the “plans of the western neighbour and its proxies”, ANI reported.

Naravane said the armed forces have “zero tolerance against terrorism”. “We have many options to counter those who promote terrorism and we will not hesitate to use them,” he said.

Naravane added that the force was increasing its capabilities to tackle space, cyber, special operations and electronic warfare. “We are also eyeing future forms of battle,” he said.

Naravane took over as the Army chief on December 31. His predecessor, Bipin Rawat, had also backed the government’s move to nullify Article 370 of the Constitution. Rawat is now the chief of defence staff.