New Army chief warns Pak against LoC misadventure

TNN

New Delhi, Aug 02, 2014 : New Army chief General Dalbir Singh Suhag has warned Pakistan against any misadventure along the Line of Control, declaring that India’s riposte would be sharp and deadly.

 

"I can tell you that our response to any such act will be more than adequate in future. It will be intense and immediate," Gen Suhag said on his first day in office on Friday.

 

 

This came a day after outgoing chief Gen Bikram Singh said the Army had given a befitting reply to Pakistan for its border action team (BAT) raids, which had first beheaded an Indian soldier and mutilated another’s body in Mendhar sector in January last year, and then killed another five jawans in Poonch in August.

 

Though Gen Suhag did not say anything more on the issue, the message was menacing. Gen Suhag, who was commissioned into the 4/5 Gorkha Rifles, incidentally, received the ceremonial guard of honour at South Block from Gorkha troops, who are known around the world for their never-say-die spirit, sharp khukris and blood-curdling war cry like "Jai Maha Kali, Ayo Gorkhali!"

 

Apart from the strong military response along the LoC, which included retaliatory fire assaults, the beheading episode had also led India to keep the bilateral composite dialogue process with Pakistan in cold storage.

 

It’s only now that the decision has been taken to send foreign secretary Sujatha Singh to Islamabad to meet her Pakistani counterpart Aizaz Ahmed Chaudhry on August 25, as a follow-up to the invite to PM Nawaz Sharif to attend the swearing-in of the Modi government in May.

 

Gen Suhag, on his part, said, " I firmly believe in the adage that what ultimately matters is the man behind the gun. My focus will be my soldier. I will ensure that our soldiers are motivated, comfortable, led competently, and provided with the latest weapons and equipment for their assigned tasks.

 

"My other focus areas would be to enhance the Army’s operational preparedness and effectiveness as well as infrastructure development on the borders and optimisation of human resources. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the government for reposing faith in me."