The civil-military leadership of Pakistan unequivocally reacted to Indian Army Chief’s statement terming it highly provocative, irresponsible and condemnable. “Such irresponsible statements from a person of a responsible stature are deplorable. Pakistan army is a responsible organization”, Aif Ghafoor the director general of army’s media wing said while reacting to Indian army Chief Gen. Bipin Rawat’s statement. “To impose aggression on Pakistan may be an Indian desire. India can initiate efforts if it wants to test our valour”, warned ISPR DG. “We are a professional army, responsible nuclear state and resilient nation,” the DG ISPR said.
Earlier, Indian army chief said the Indian army was ready to call Pakistan s “nuclear bluff” and cross the border to carry out any operation if asked by the government. “We will call the (nuclear) bluff of Pakistan. If we will have to really confront the Pakistanis, and a task is given to us, we are not going to say we cannot cross the border because they have nuclear weapons. We will have to call their nuclear bluff,” Gen. Rawat said.
Reacting to the statement, foreign minister Khawaja Asif wrote on Twitter: “Very irresponsible statement by Indian Army Chief, not befitting his office. [It] amounts to invitation for nuclear encounter. If that is what they desire, they are welcome to test our resolve. The general’s doubt would swiftly be removed, inshallah,” Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal on Sunday stressed that the Indian army chief’s statements on ‘calling Pakistan’s nuclear bluff’ prove that “India is an irresponsible nuclear state”.
“Nuclear weapons are not pistols or slingshots; they are weapons of mass destruction. Therefore people expect nuclear powers to behave responsibly,” he said. The interior minister raised questions over the possibility of Indian inclusion in the Nuclear Suppliers Group, given the “irresponsible” statements made.
“What do the Indian army chief and [US President Donald] Trump’s statements indicate?” he asked. “Those external attempts are being made to pressure Pakistan”, Iqbal said adding that In the face of such attempts, it is necessary that there is internal unity, Iqbal stressed.
Foreign Office Spokesman Dr Mohammad Faisal in his reaction had said the “statement by the Indian army chief is representative of a sinister mindset that has taken hold of India. Pakistan has demonstrated deterrence capability”. Dr. Faisal has rightly pointed out that this Gen. Rawat’s statement could not be taken lightly. The statement as a matter of fact had amply exposed the India’s malicious and sinister designs against Pakistan. The statement also lays bare the truth behind the Indian so-called democracy. It amply demonstrates the fact that real control of the India, which claims to be the biggest democracy, lies in the hands of armed forces”. India’s hegemonic designs and aggressive posturing is indeed a great threat to peace and stability in the region,”
We need not to get cowed down to India’s bullying tactics but unity and concurrence is all that we desperately need at this point of crucial time to thwart external conspiracies. Given the dangerous implications of the US, India and Israel nexus institutional harmony amongst all state institutions and political entities of the country is dire need of the hour to tackle the challenges. Political instability invariably poses a considerable threat to national security. It is time that the stakeholders, whosoever, should realize their legal and moral responsibilities and discharge their duties in safeguarding the territorial integrity and ideological frontiers of the country. It is time to stand united, get our acts together, and say goodbye to political bickering and vendetta as “United we stand, divided we fall”.