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Ready for war if India is attacked: Pakistan's new army chief

 



• Pakistan's new army chief took charge of the country's armed forces on 30 November as a political rift between the government and a popular opposition leader deepened.

In a veiled attack on India, Pakistan's newly appointed army chief General Asim Munir said that if his country is attacked, the Pakistani armed forces will "not only defend every inch of our motherland but also fight the enemy". "

He further said, “We have taken note of the highly irresponsible statements of the Indian leadership on Gilgit Baltistan and Jammu and Kashmir in the recent past. Let me make it abundantly clear, Pakistan's armed forces are prepared not only to defend every inch of our motherland but also to take the fight back to the enemy if ever, war is thrust upon us.

Munir made the remarks during his first tour of troops to the border areas in the Rakhchikri sector of the Line of Control (LoC) on Saturday.

During his visit to the border areas, Army Chief General Munir was briefed about the latest situation along the LoC and operational preparedness of the formation.

Gen Munir interacted with the officers and soldiers, appreciating their high morale, professional competence and combat readiness in performing their duties under challenging conditions.

He also talked about some recent statements by Indian officials regarding Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.

Any misadventure resulting in misadventure will always be countered with the full might of our armed forces, which is backed by a resilient nation, he added.

Pakistan's new military chief took command of the country's armed forces on November 30 as a political rift between the government and the popular opposition leader deepened.

The military has historically held enormous influence in Pakistan, ruling for half of the country's 75-year history. But it has also been fighting local and foreign militants since 2001 when Pakistan became an ally of the United States in the war on terror. The alliance angered Pakistani militants, some of whom joined the Afghan Taliban in a years-long war that ended with the withdrawal of US and NATO forces from Afghanistan in 2021.

Munir, who is a former spymaster, succeeds General Qamar Javed Bajwa, who retired after six years in office. During his tenure, Bajwa had approved several operations against the insurgents in the country's former northwestern tribal areas bordering Afghanistan.

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