News Desk |
Pakistan Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Jawed Bajwa visited Pakistani troops deployed at the Line of Control (LoC) in Kashmir on Friday. According to Pakistani media, Bajwa instructed the troops “to be ready to face any eventuality.”
COAS visited Line of Control. Reviewed state of preparedness. Lauded high moral of troops.
“Pakistan is a peace loving country but we will not be intimidated or coerced. Any aggression or misadventure shall be paid back in same coin”, COAS. pic.twitter.com/RUpdCzxWeI— DG ISPR (@OfficialDGISPR) February 22, 2019
Speaking at the troops, COAS said, “Pakistan is a peace loving country but we will not be intimidated or coerced. Any aggression or misadventure shall be paid back in same coin.”
General Bajwa’s visit to LoC comes hours after Army spokesperson Major General Asif Ghafoor’s statement at a press conference that “we are not preparing to initiate anything. We have the right to respond to your preparations for war.” He had also claimed that Pakistan does not want an armed conflict but will respond with full force if attacked.
Questioning Indian allegations of Pakistani state’s involvement in the Pulwama attack, the general said that the timing of the strike showed the other side had tried to benefit from it.
During the press briefing at the Inter-Services Public Relations office, the military spokesperson said in case India started aggression against Pakistan it would be surprised by the level of response it would get from the Pakistani armed forces.
In a message directed at Indian military planners, Mr. Ghafoor said: “Be rest assured, should you initiate any aggression. First, you shall never be able to surprise us. We are ready. In response, we shall for sure surprise you.”
Talking of deployment at forwarding locations, Gen Ghafoor said Pakistani troops “shall have superior force ratio at decisive points”. He cautioned the Indian army against underestimating Pakistani defense, saying: “Never think that we shall fall short of capacity. … We have the ways and means for the end state.”
Read more: DG ISPR’s message to India: “Don’t Mess with Pakistan!”
He said Pakistani armed forces were “ready to respond to full spectrum threat” and in the event of Indian aggression, “shall dominate the escalation ladder”.
Emphasizing unity within the country, the military spokesman said: “We have a singleness of conception all across from PM to a common citizen, including all political parties and other segments of society from our chiefs down to soldiers. We have the will and the determination.”
His message for the Indian side was “don’t mess with Pakistan”. He said that Pakistan’s military capabilities were India-specific and the troops were battle-hardened after a long fight against terrorism.
Read more: NSC meeting underscores similar thinking pattern of civilian and military leadership
Questioning Indian allegations of Pakistani state’s involvement in the Pulwama attack, the general said that the timing of the strike showed the other side had tried to benefit from it. He maintained that a closer look at the events and circumstantial evidence, including the vehicle and explosives used in the attack, proved that Pakistan was not involved. He also called for an analysis of the video in which the attacker claimed responsibility.