Pak top brass terms Indian army’s threats irresponsible

Islamabad: The Pakistan Armys top brass rejected the Indian army chiefs recent statements on Pakistan as irresponsible, warning they (India) could undermine regional peace.

The statements made by Indian Army Chief Gen. Manoj Mukund Naravane were discussed at a meeting of the corps commanders at the General Headquarters on Tuesday.

“Taking account of repea­ted provocative statements of Indian military leadership regarding aggression against Pakistan, the forum termed it as an irresponsible rhetoric with implications on regional peace and stability,” the military’s public affairs division, the Inter-Services Public Relations, said after the meeting.

Ever since Gen. Naravane assumed the command of the Indian Army on December 31, he has made a number of statements, including one on occupying Azad Kashmir and another about the alleged killing of a civilian porter of his army, the Dawn reported on Wednesday.

He has also spoken about “rebalancing of deployments and resources” in Siachen in view of the possible cooperation between China and Pakistan. In a TV interview, he said that India “reserves the right to pre-emptively strike”.

The Pakistan Army had earlier dismissed as “routine rhetoric” Gen. Naravane’s statement on Azad Kashmir that he had made at his first press conference and in which he had said his troops could occupy Azad Kashmir in case the Indian parliament mandated the Army to do so.