About 11,000 people participate in Army's recruitment rally in J-K's Poonch

Braving frequent shelling by Pakistan along the Line of Control (LoC) and inclement weather, about 11,000 people participated in the Army's recruitment rally in the last 10 days in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district, a defence spokesman said Wednesday. As many as 198 candidates have been selected for written examination during the rally which started at Surankote on March 11 and ended on Wednesday, the spokesman said.

He said the rally was conducted to recruit soldiers for different categories to include clerks, general duty and tradesman. "Despite inclement weather condition and security situation in the region for past month, the youth turned up in large numbers for the recruitment... About 11,000 candidates from Poonch, Rajouri, Sunderbani and Akhnoor participated in the rally," the spokesman said.

He said the enthusiasm and spirit of the candidates reflected their desire for personal progression while having faith in the governance. A total of 198 candidates have been selected for written examination which is scheduled to be conducted on April 7, the spokesman said. He said employment being a major cause of concern for the youth of Jammu and Kashmir, the rally has received overwhelming response and support from the district administration for smooth conduct of the event.