Newly-appointed Pakistan Army Chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa, who visited forward locations along the Line of Control (LoC), on Friday instructed Pakistani troops to stay alert and warned India of a "response with full force" for ceasefire violations by Indian troops, the army's media wing said.
"Each violation of any kind must be responded to with full force in the most effective manner," Bajwa said during his visit to the 10 Corps Rawalpindi.
The army chief was briefed on the security situation at the LoC "in view of recent violations and escalation by Indian troops and Pakistan's own response", the statement said.
Gen Bajwa said India's "aggressive posture" was aimed solely at diverting the world's attention away from "atrocities" being committed by Indian troops in Jammu and Kashmir.
On Kashmir issue, he said the issue will have to be resolved in line with United Nations resolutions keeping in view the aspirations of the Kashmiri people in order to achieve lasting regional peace, the ISPR statement said.
The army chief appreciated the operational readiness of troops and the "befitting response" given to "unprovoked Indian firing" across the LoC. Gen Bajwa directed troops to keep the highest level of vigil at all times.
The chief's statements come at a time tensions between Pakistan and India are running high following Indian surgical strikes, unrest in Kashmir and the September 18 Uri army base attack.
Since then there have been repeated outbreaks of cross-border firing in Kashmir, with both sides reporting deaths and injuries, including of civilians.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on November 26 appointed Bajwa as Chief of Army Staff (COAS) by elevating him to the rank of a four-star general.
Bajwa, an expert in PoK affairs, on November 29 took over as Pakistan’s new army chief succeeding Gen Raheel Sharif.
Gen Raheel handed over the command of world’s sixth-largest army by troop numbers to 57-year-old Bajwa at a ceremony held in the Army Hockey Stadium, close to the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi.
(With IANS inputs)
