Army Chief General Qamar Bajwa, during a visit to the Line of Control (LoC) on February 22, warned India against aggression, saying any misadventure would receive resolute response from his troops, reports Dawn. General Bajwa visited the LoC to review the state of preparedness and morale of the troops, a day after the National Security Committee (NSC) authorised the armed forces to respond to any Indian aggression with full force. The top commander’s visit signalled the highest level of preparedness to the adversary. Speaking to the troops on the frontlines in Chirikot and Bagsar sectors, General Bajwa said: “Pakistan is a peace-loving country but we will not be intimidated or coerced. Any aggression or misadventure shall be paid back in same coin”.
Meanwhile, Army spokesman Major General Asif Ghafoor, while addressing a press conference at the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) office, said in case India started aggression against Pakistan it would be surprised by the level of response it would get from the Pakistani armed forces. In a message directed at Indian military planners, the spokesman said: “Be rest assured, should you initiate any aggression. First, you shall never be able to surprise us. We are ready. In response we shall for sure surprise you.” Talking of deployment at forward locations, General Ghafoor said Pakistani troops “shall have superior force ratio at decisive points”. He cautioned the Indian army against underestimating Pakistani defence, saying: “Never think that we shall fall short of capacity. … We have the ways and means for the end state.” He said Pakistani armed forces were “ready to respond to full spectrum threat” and in the event of Indian aggression, “shall dominate the escalation ladder”.