Pakistan’s newly-appointed Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Asim Munir, warned on Saturday that Islamabad is prepared to “defend every inch of [its] motherland.”
He vowed to “fight back” against its “enemy” India if attacked along the Line of Control (LoC), asserting that New Delhi will not be successful in achieving its “nefarious designs” in Jammu and Kashmir.
The rebuke came during Munir’s visit to Rakhchikri in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir, wherein he lamented the “highly irresponsible comments” made by Indian leaders on Gilgit-Baltistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir.
In this regard, he said, “Any misconception resulting into a misadventure will always be met with full might of armed forces having support of the resilient nation.”
The All Parties Hurriyat Conference Azad Jammu and Kashmir celebrated Munir’s comments for giving Kashmiris a new voice.
#WATCH | As far as the Indian Army is concerned, it'll carry out any order given by the Government of India. Whenever such orders are given, we will always be ready for it: Lt Gen Upendra Dwivedi, Northern Army Commander on Defence Minister statement of taking back PoJK pic.twitter.com/iILZWiDVnF
— ANI (@ANI) November 22, 2022
Munir’s remarks come in response to Indian Northern Army Commander Lieutenant General Upendra Dwivedi’s statement in November, wherein he confirmed that the Indian Army would carry out orders related to Kashmir and the LoC from the Indian government.
He said, “The military is always ready to make sure that ceasefire understanding is never broken as it is in the interest of both nations, but if broken at any time, we will give them a befitting reply.”
A month earlier, Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s said that New Delhi is prepared to reach Gilgit-Baltistan, a region India claims to be illegally occupied by Pakistan. Singh criticised Pakistan’s violence in Gilgit-Baltistan, noting, “We feel the pain of Kashmiris in PoK. We have started the development of Kashmir, and we will not stop till we reach Gilgit and Baltistan.”
At the time, Islamabad called Singh’s comments “ridiculous” and criticised him for advancing Indian expansionism and hostility against Pakistan.
...and a proponent of regional peace and stability. This desire for peace, however, is matched with our capability and preparation to thwart any misadventure or aggression against our territory, an assertion comprehensively validated on numerous occasions (4/5)
— DG ISPR (@OfficialDGISPR) November 24, 2022
Similarly, a Pakistani military spokesperson stressed on 24 November that the statements were “fallacious” and merely sought to divert attention from the Indian Army’s human rights violations. It further warned that Pakistan’s commitment to peace is complemented by its “capability and preparation to thwart any misadventure or aggression.”
Munir’s speech came just days after he took over the position of army chief from his predecessor, General Qamar Bajwa. According to Michael Kugelman, a South Asia expert quoted by Al Jazeera, Munir’s comments are “notable” considering the “fairly subdued” messaging against India in the final days of Bajwa’s tenure. Nevertheless, he said the statement was “predictable,” as the newly appointed chief wants to start with a “strong tone.”
Pakistan suspended all bilateral trade with India in 2019 in response to New Delhi’s decision to revoke Article 370 of its constitution, which granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir. Since then, Pakistan has used several international and domestic platforms to oppose India’s “unilateral and illegal actions” in Kashmir.
COAS Gen Asim Munir first visit to LOC,
— Mona Khan (@mona_qau) December 3, 2022
COAS said Pakistan's armed forces are ever ready, not only to defend every inch of our motherland, but to take the fight back to the enemy, Indian state will never be able to achieve her nefarious designs. pic.twitter.com/IYAQJScIGv
Meanwhile, India has been looking to conduct a delimitation exercise to change the number and limits of Parliamentary and Assembly Constituencies in Jammu and Kashmir.
Pakistan’s foreign ministry rejected the plan, denouncing the Indian government’s “ulterior motives” to “disenfranchise and disempower the Muslim majority population” in the region.
Despite these differences, the LoC has remained relatively peaceful since 2021, when the two sides signed a ceasefire and committed to using the hotline mechanism and border flag meetings to discuss any future course of action to “resolve any unforeseen situation or misunderstanding.”
However, tensions reignited in March after India accidentally launched an unarmed Indian BrahMos missile into Mian Channu, 124 kilometres inside Pakistani territory, due to a “technical malfunction” during “routine maintenance.” While the Indian authorities fired three officers over their involvement in the accidental launch, Pakistan has been calling for a joint inquiry.