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’.
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.”
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He had also claimed that Pakistan does not want an armed conflict but will respond with full force if attacked.
Talking about the possibility of a war between the two nations, Gafoor said, “We do not wish to go to war but please be rest assured should you initiate any aggression- first you shall never be able to surprise us, let me assure you we shall surprise you…We have the ways and the means to attain what is desired. I hope you (India) get this message and don’t mess with Pakistan.”
Pakistan maintained a belligerent stand and levelled various allegations against India, giving wrong and misleading details.
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During the entire press meet, Gafoor remained in a denial mode about his country’s involvement in Pulwama terror attack even though Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terror outfit, based in Pakistan, has claimed the responsibility for it in a statement.
India has asserted that since JeM, which is based in Pakistan, had itself claimed responsibility for Pulwama attack, there was no more evidence required.
The UN, the US, and several other major world powers have held JeM responsible for the attack.
He also claimed that Pakistan was not being isolated internationally, even at a time when the entire international community is mounting pressure on the country to act against terror infrastructure existing in the country.
(With ANI inputs)