Gen Raheel visits Strike Corps amid LoC tension

Army chief reviews operational preparedness of troops

ISLAMABAD: Army Chief General Raheel Sharif on Monday visited the headquarters of the Strike Corps at Mangla to review operational preparedness of the army.

The visit came in the face of increasing hostility from neighbouring India and the latest incidents of ceasefire violations along the Line of Control (LoC) by India.

“Commander of the Strike Corps briefed the army chief,” said the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) in a statement issued here.

Corps commanders of Lahore, Gujranwala and Peshawar as well as the director-general of the military operation (DGMO) were also present on the occasion, added the statement without providing further insight into the unusual huddle.

Pakistan, although, does not seek escalation in tensions with India, says it is ready to deal with any threat from the neighbouring country.

As the army chief reviewed the operational preparedness, Pakistan and India on Monday exchanged fire on at least three different sectors along the Line of Control (LoC).

The military’s media wing said Indian troops resorted to “unprovoked firing” after midnight at LoC in Sector Iftikharabad. “Pakistani troops befittingly responded to the fire that started after midnight and continued till 10:30.”

The ISPR said later the Indian troops also started unprovoked firing at Nezapir and Kailer sectors along the LoC. “No loss of the life or property was reported in the latest skirmishes,” it said.

Although media on both sides have no or limited access to the disputed region, the Pakistan Army on Saturday in a rare move took local and foreign journalists to the forward locations to rebut the Indian claims of surgical strikes.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 4^th, 2016.