Pakistan dismisses Army chief's warning as 'mere rhetoric'

In an obvious reference to Pakistan, General Singh said that new ways of creating unrest in Jammu and Kashmir have come to light.

Pakistan reacted strongly to Army Chief General Dalbir Singh's comment that the Army is ready for swift and short wars in the future, saying its armed forces are capable of defending its territorial integrity against any aggression, particularly from India. General Singh's words on the readiness of his force came at a tri-service seminar on the Golden Jubilee of 1965 Indo-Pak war on Tuesday.
In an obvious reference to Pakistan, General Singh said that new ways of creating unrest in Jammu and Kashmir have come to light. "With frequent cease-fire violation and infiltrations by our west neighbour, the border remains live and active," he added.
According to a report by The Express Tribune, a senior foreign ministry official dismissed General Singh's warning as "mere rhetoric" and said that there was no possibility of a "limited war" between the two nuclear-armed neighbours. The official further added that Pakistan's "armed forces are capable of defending the sovereignty and territorial integrity of their country against any foreign aggression", the paper reported. Pakistan has yet to make a formal reaction to Gen Singh's comment.
Last week, Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif had warned that India would suffer heavy losses if it tries to impose a war on the country. Asif had ruled out the possibility of a "limited war" between Pakistan and India, saying "there is no space for a limited war. Any attack on us will depend on Pakistan's choice of response and timing."
Of late, India-Pakistan relations reached their lowest ebb with both sides blaming each other of provoking hostilities. Ceasefire violations and infiltration bids by Pakistan-based terror outfits along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir have soured relations between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.
Last month, India and Pakistan were to hold NSA-level dialogue in New Delhi and both countries had wavered on the meeting for days before Pakistan called it off. At issue was the agenda of what the NSAs would discuss. While India said the talks would be about terrorism and terrorism alone, Pakistan wanted a broader agenda that included the Kashmir issue.
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