If Pakistan launched surgical strikes, India would remember for generations to come: Gen Raheel

Army chief says he will relinquish duties on Nov 29 and dedicate life after retirement to families of martyrs

Army chief General Raheel Sharif said on Thursday that if Pakistan were to launch surgical strikes, India would not be able to forget it for generations to come.

India, he said, will be teaching its children about Pakistan's surgical strike if the latter took such measures. Pakistani troops are capable of teaching Indian forces a lesson, he added, according to Express News.

Addressing a jirga (consultative body) of tribal elders in Bara tehsil of Khyber Agency during a visit, the chief of army staff confirmed he will be retiring on November 29 after a three-year term, as scheduled.

#COAS to tribal elders;we have fought this menace of terrorism together over the years,it has woven us eternally in an unbreakable bond pic.twitter.com/ga0vR0n8zQ

— Gen(R) Asim Saleem Bajwa (@AsimBajwaISPR) November 24, 2016

He added that he would dedicate his life after retirement to families of martyrs of the armed forces.

General Raheel said Pakistan Army along with tribal people have eliminated the scourge of terrorism. Tribal areas were considered a no-go area three years ago, but are now witnessing social gatherings and development projects, he maintained.

The army chief went on to say that Pakistan's army is the best military fighting against terrorism, and added that the soldiers are in high morale.



General Raheel also visited Wana where he addressed officers and soldiers from the army and Frontier Corps. He commended them for successfully unhinging terrorists from their sanctuaries in Fata and destroying their infrastructure. Our stabilisation operations and resettlement phase are helping us consolidate our gains, he added.

Frequent incidents of cross-border fire have been witnessed since a heightened situation in occupied Kashmir. More than 100 protesters have lost their lives in the valley while dozens blinded by use of pellet guns.

Pakistan and India have been at loggerheads since the killing of a populist rebel leader Burhan Wani by the occupied forces in the valley on July 8.

India also accuses Pakistan of being involved in an attack on an army base in Uri on September 18, in which 19 Indian soldiers were killed. Islamabad has denied the charge, which Delhi leveled without any substantial investigation or evidence.