ISLAMABAD - Pakistan military on Saturday dismissed Indian army chief’s statement that Indian army will move to claim Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) if given order as a ‘routine rhetoric’ aimed at diverting attention from the ongoing internal turmoil.
Director Ggeneral Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Major General Asif Ghafoor in a tweet hours after the statement of Indian army chief said that the Pakistan’s armed forces were fully prepared to respond to any act of Indian aggression.
“Statements by Indian COAS to undertake military action across LoC are routine rhetoric for domestic audiences to get out of ongoing internal turmoil. Pakistan Armed Forces are fully prepared to respond to any act of Indian aggression,” said the tweet.
Earlier in the day, Indian army chief Gen Manoj Mukund Naravane continued with his rhetoric in his attempt to stay in the headlines in Indian media, saying his forces would take steps to take control of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) if the Indian government gave orders.
Recalling that a 1994 resolution of the Indian parliament had stated that the entire disputed state of Jammu and Kashmir belonged to India, Gen Naravane said: “There is a parliamentary resolution that entire Jammu and Kashmir is part of India. If parliament wants that area (AJK) should be taken, we will definitely do so and an appropriate action will be taken accordingly.”
He had also threatened to carry out what he called pre-emptive strikes in Pakistan earlier this month.
The Indian army chief knows well the level of preparedness and the capability of the Pakistani armed forces as he was part of the Indian force on February 27, 2019 as well. The Indian army had met a befitting response to the Balakot misadventure in February last year in which two of their jets were downed and one of the pilots, Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, was captured. The pilot was released days later amidst international efforts to defuse the stand-off between the two neighbourly nuclear states.
Pak army prepared to respond to any aggression
