Aim to Inflect Pain on Pak Army for Supporting Terror: Gen Rawat

The Army chief also said India is ready to call Pakistan’s nuclear bluff if need be.

Army Chief Gen Bipin Rawat addresses a press conference in New Delhi on Friday, 12 January.

(Photo: PTI)

The armed forces in Jammu and Kashmir have been strongly retaliating to Pakistan's ceasefire violations and the aim has been to inflict pain on Pakistan Army to make it realise the cost of its support to terror groups, Army Chief Gen Bipin Rawat said on Friday, 12 January.

He said terrorists in Pakistan are "disposable commodity" and the Indian Army has been focusing on punishing Pakistan Army posts, which often provide cover fire to push terrorists into India.

"Our approach has been to ensure that Pakistan Army feels the pain," he told a press conference, adding the Pakistani side has been feeling the pressure of India's aggressive retaliation.

He said Indian Army has been targeting Pakistan posts which support terrorists to infiltrate into India, adding Pakistan has been calling for de-escalating the situation. He said:

Unless the Pakistan Army feels the pain, it would continue to send terrorists who are disposable commodities for them. We will continue to destroy the Pakistan posts pushing the terrorists into India. Pakistan has suffered three-four times higher casualties due to the retaliatory fire.

Gen Rawat said South Kashmir was focus of the Army's counter-terror operations after killing of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani in 2016. But now, he said, the focus will be shifted to areas in North Kashmir.

‘Ready to Call Pakistan’s Nuclear Bluff’

He also said that the Indian Army can call Pakistan's nuclear bluff.

We will call the bluff. If we will have to really confront the Pakistanis, and a task is given to us and the country gives us a task, we are not going to say that we cannot cross the border because they have nuclear weapons. We will have to call their nuclear bluff.

Gen Bipin Rawat

On the US’s Stance on Pakistan

The Army Chief also said it would be premature to assess the impact of US President Donald Trump's decision to put pressure on Pakistan to act against terror groups operating from its soil.

He said India will have to continue its policy of dealing sternly with cross-border terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir, notwithstanding the pressure on Pakistan by the US. He said:

It would be premature to talk about what is going to be ultimate impact of this pressure on Pakistan. I think we should wait and watch.

On 1 January, Trump had accused Pakistan of giving nothing to the US but "lies and deceit" and providing "safe haven" to terrorists in return for USD 33 billion aid over the last 15 years, seen as a major policy initiative to pile up pressure on Islamabad to contain terror groups operating from Pakistan's soil.

I do not think everything is going to be hunky-dory and Pakistan is going to be isolated and it is going to be declared a terrorist state. There are compulsions on the US also to maintain a kind of a relationship with Pakistan and Pakistan understands it.

Gen Bipin Rawat

At the same time, he observed that Pakistan has felt the pressure for its "religious intolerance".

"It is a step by step process. It is too premature to say that everything is going to be in our favour and the US will do our job," the Army chief said.

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