LoC To Remain Sacrosanct As Long As Pakistan Remains Quiet: Army Chief General Bipin Rawat

Asserting that surgical strikes in September 2016 and Balakot air strike has delivered the message to Pakistan about India’s firm resolve to cross Line of Control (LoC) if needed, Indian Army chief General Bipin Rawat has warned Islamabad that New Delhi is no longer going to allow the former to vitiate atmosphere in Jammu and Kashmir.

“The strikes (Balakot and surgical strikes in 2016) have delivered the message that the Line of Control (LoC) will remain sacrosanct as long as the other side remains quiet and does not vitiate the atmosphere,” the Army Chief said in an interview while replying to a question on Pakistan reactivating Balakot terror facility, reports Times of India.

“Pakistan controls the terrorists, who act as its proxies. It’s no longer going to be hide and seek. If we have to go across, we will, through the air or the ground route or both. The red line has been very clearly drawn as to what will be the future course of action,” General Rawat said.

The Army chief also said that Pakistan’s open call for Jihad in the aftermath of India abrogating the special status of J&K is tacit acceptance of their support to terrorism in the erstwhile state of India.

“You cannot develop this kind of a machinery to spread terrorism overnight… It was always there. There are terror training camps in Pakistan, though they keep on shifting them. Fighting a proxy war with us is the state policy of Pakistan,” he said.