India will strike enemies at 'place and time' of its choosing, says minister

Minister’s statement comes hours after Indian army conducted cross-border strikes on insurgent camps in Myanmar

Indian Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Rathore on Wednesday warned that Indian strikes in Myanmar were a message to all countries, including Pakistan and groups harbouring ‘terror intent’ that India would strike at the 'place and at a time'of its choosing.

“This is a message for all countries, including Pakistan, and groups harbouring terror intent towards India. A terrorist is a terrorist and has no other identity. We will strike when we want to,” Rathore said, according to the Indian Express.

Underlining the essence of ‘warfare,’ the minister added, “We will not tolerate any strikes on India or Indians. We’ll always wield the initiative on either being friendly or engaging in aggressive action. We will strike at a place and at a time of our choosing.”

Read: Latest allegation: Pakistan weighs response to Modi’s remarks

The Indian minister’s statement comes hours after the Indian army conducted cross-border strikes on two insurgent camps in Myanmar. The strikes came days after 18 Indian soldiers were killed in Manipur.

Lauding the strikes, Rathore said, “It was a much-needed decision that was taken by the prime minister. This decision was extremely bold in nature. And it involved our special forces crossing the border and going deep into another country.”

Further, he upheld there were intelligence reports of ‘two camps preparing another strike on India.’

Read: Indian PM Modi accuses Pakistan of promoting terrorism

“Both camps were struck and were completely annihilated. The Special Forces returned without a single casualty,”Rathore claimed.

Earlier, Rathore tweeted, “A salute to Indian Army for #ManipurRevenge strike. Massive political will displayed by our strong @PMOIndia @narendramodi @manoharparrikar.”

A salute to Indian Army for #ManipurRevenge strike.Massive political will displayed by our strong @PMOIndia @narendramodi @manoharparrikar

— Col Rajyavardhan Rathore (@Ra_THORe) June 9, 2015

In another tweet, Rathore said, “Indian Army strikes into the heart of militants.

Indian Army strikes into the heart of militants.देश के दुश्मनों को करारा जवाब. कुशल नेतृत्व ,मज़बूत सरकार PM @narendramodi #56inchRocks

— Col Rajyavardhan Rathore (@Ra_THORe) June 9, 2015

Appreciating, the Indian premier’s decision to takle action in Myanmar, Rathore said the strikes clarified India’s intention towards a friendly neighbourhood.

“Commitment towards mutual development was made as evident as its zero-tolerance towards terror.”

China denies link with insurgent group

Chinese officials on Wednesday refuted allegations that the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) had assisted militants in northeast India, the Press Trust of India reported.

“The Indian media has long been a rumour monger when it comes to China’s support for the insurgent groups in north eastern India,” said Zhao Gancheng, director of the Centre for Asian-Pacific Studies at Shanghai Institutes for International Studies.

Any claim that Chinese army officers had been in touch with leaders of an insurgent group suspected of involvement in a recent attack on Indian troops is “absurd”, the state-run Global Times quoted officials as saying.

Verbal exchange

The Indian minister’s statement comes in the backdrop of constant verbal exchange between the two nuclear armed neighbours.

On Tuesday, amidst a fresh salvo of hostile rhetoric from New Delhi, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said that the recent provocative statements of Indian leaders are ‘disappointing’.

Nawaz called upon the United Nations Security Council to ensure implementation of its resolutions to resolve the festering dispute over the Himalayan region of Kashmir.

Read: Dushanbe rendezvous: Indian diatribe disappointing: PM

Premier Nawaz regretted that New Delhi did not reciprocate to Islamabad’s peace overtures and offers to revive the composite dialogue process that was suspended following the 2008 terrorist attacks on landmarks in the Indian commercial capital of Mumbai.

Myanmar refutes Indian claim 

Myanmar on Wednesday denied media reports that Indian forces had attacked insurgents inside its territory and said it would not tolerate rebel groups using its soil to attack neighbours.

This article originally appeared on the Indian Express.