'Pakistani Army capable of tackling any kind of war'

Rawalpindi: In an obvious reference to India, the Pakistani Army chief, General Raheel Sharif, has said the force is "fully capable" of dealing with any kind of threat" and that any "misdaventure" would come at an "unbearable cost".

“(The) armed forces of Pakistan are fully capable of dealing with all types of internal and external threats, may it be conventional or sub-conventional; whether it is cold start or hot start. We are ready,” Dawn quoted Gen. Sharif as saying at the Defence Day ceremony at the General Headquarters here to mark the 50th anniversary of the 1965 war with India.

"If the enemy ever resorts to any misadventure, regardless of its size and scale – short or long – it will have to pay an unbearable cost,” the army chief said.

"Gen. Sharif’s curt comments came against the backdrop of Indian Army chief General Dalbir Singh Suhag’s remarks (that) his troops were ready for the 'swift, short nature of future wars'. Indian Army’s 2 ‘Kharga’ Strike Corps had, in April, also carried out large-scale war games codenamed ‘Brahmashira’ to rehearse 'swift multiple offensives'," Dawn said.

Gen. Sharif paid rich tributes to the nation’s martyrs, saying that their sacrifices will not go in vain.

"I am honoured that soldiers from that war are present among us today," he sid.

The army chief said in the past 50 years, Pakistan has seen many ups and downs.

"But I can say with certainty that today we are stronger than before and the nation is more hopeful than ever," he said.

Gen. Sharif also said that Kashmir is an unresolved regional issue since the partition of the subcontinent.

"There can be no peace in the region without resolution of the Kashmir issue according to the UN resolutions and the wishes of the Kashmiri people," he said.