Amid tensions: Army chief lauds troop readiness along border
Gen Raheel Sharif attends briefing by DG Rangers Major Gen Umar Farooq Burki
The army chief also urged the international community to condemn the Indian atrocities in held Kashmir. PHOTO: APP
ISLAMABAD:
Army Chief General Raheel Sharif on Friday appreciated the high state of morale, operational preparedness and vigilance being maintained by the troops along both the working boundary as well as the international border.
The chief of army staff visited the headquarters of Punjab Rangers in Lahore in order to review operational readiness of troops deployed along the working boundary and international border in the wake of growing tensions between Pakistan and India.
General Raheel was briefed by DG Rangers Major Gen Umar Farooq Burki about operational preparedness of the force, a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations stated. Corps Commander Lahore Lieutenant General Sadiq Ali was also present during the visit.
The army chief also laid floral wreath at the Shuhada Memorial to pay homage to Pakistan Rangers (Punjab) martyrs who rendered supreme sacrifices for Pakistan’s defence.
Since tensions escalated between India and Pakistan following the Uri attack and New Delhi’s claims of conducting surgical strikes in Azad Kashmir, the army chief has visited strike corps, Mangla as well as 10 corps, which is responsible for security along the Line of Control (LoC).
Although there is no imminent threat of a war, the army is leaving no stone unturned and sending out a clear message that it is ready to take on India if its forces try any misadventure.
In his address to the passing out parade of PAF cadets at Risalpur on Thursday, the army chief accused India of a ‘litany of falsehood and distortion of facts’ inside Kashmir and along the LoC.
He warned that any aggression or strategic miscalculation on the part of India would not be allowed to go unpunished.
The army chief also urged the international community to condemn the Indian atrocities in held Kashmir.
Tensions between Pakistan and India are currently at an all-time high, sparking fears of a possible military showdown -- if the current situation is not handled properly.
Besides war of words, the border guards of two nuclear-armed neighbours continued to exchange fire at the de facto border that divides Kashmir into Pakistan and India.
The two sides have been regularly exchanging fire at the LoC since last Thursday when India claimed to have conducted surgical strikes targeting the alleged ‘terror launch pads’ in Azad Kashmir.
Pakistan, however, dismissed the Indian claims, saying it was only aimed at diverting global attention from the uprising in the Indian-occupied Kashmir.
The absence of compelling evidence of surgical strikes has also sparked a raging debate within India as some opposition parties are now calling on the Modi government to show proof of such strikes.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 8th, 2016.
Army Chief General Raheel Sharif on Friday appreciated the high state of morale, operational preparedness and vigilance being maintained by the troops along both the working boundary as well as the international border.
The chief of army staff visited the headquarters of Punjab Rangers in Lahore in order to review operational readiness of troops deployed along the working boundary and international border in the wake of growing tensions between Pakistan and India.
General Raheel was briefed by DG Rangers Major Gen Umar Farooq Burki about operational preparedness of the force, a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations stated. Corps Commander Lahore Lieutenant General Sadiq Ali was also present during the visit.
The army chief also laid floral wreath at the Shuhada Memorial to pay homage to Pakistan Rangers (Punjab) martyrs who rendered supreme sacrifices for Pakistan’s defence.
Since tensions escalated between India and Pakistan following the Uri attack and New Delhi’s claims of conducting surgical strikes in Azad Kashmir, the army chief has visited strike corps, Mangla as well as 10 corps, which is responsible for security along the Line of Control (LoC).
Although there is no imminent threat of a war, the army is leaving no stone unturned and sending out a clear message that it is ready to take on India if its forces try any misadventure.
In his address to the passing out parade of PAF cadets at Risalpur on Thursday, the army chief accused India of a ‘litany of falsehood and distortion of facts’ inside Kashmir and along the LoC.
He warned that any aggression or strategic miscalculation on the part of India would not be allowed to go unpunished.
The army chief also urged the international community to condemn the Indian atrocities in held Kashmir.
Tensions between Pakistan and India are currently at an all-time high, sparking fears of a possible military showdown -- if the current situation is not handled properly.
Besides war of words, the border guards of two nuclear-armed neighbours continued to exchange fire at the de facto border that divides Kashmir into Pakistan and India.
The two sides have been regularly exchanging fire at the LoC since last Thursday when India claimed to have conducted surgical strikes targeting the alleged ‘terror launch pads’ in Azad Kashmir.
Pakistan, however, dismissed the Indian claims, saying it was only aimed at diverting global attention from the uprising in the Indian-occupied Kashmir.
The absence of compelling evidence of surgical strikes has also sparked a raging debate within India as some opposition parties are now calling on the Modi government to show proof of such strikes.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 8th, 2016.