Any act of terror will not go unpunished, says Army chief

New Delhi: Any misadventure by Pakistan Army will be repelled with punitive response and no act of terror will go unpunished, Army chief General Bipin Rawat said Saturday.

Speaking at an event on '20 Years after Kargil Conflict', Rawat said the Pakistan Army, time and again, resorts to misadventure, either through state-sponsored terrorism or intrusions in India.

"The Indian armed forces stand resolute and ready to defend our territorial integrity. Let there be no doubt that misadventures will be repelled with a punitive response," he said.

Rawat also asserted that no act of terror will go unpunished.

"Surgical strikes post Uri and Balakot (terror attacks) have amply demonstrated our political and military resolve against terror. Any act of terror will not go unpunished," he added.

The Army chief noted that the country cannot afford to be import-dependent throughout and emphasised on achieving self-reliance in critical technology.

The rise of non-state actors and the readiness to use terror and other irregular methods of fighting have become a new norm, he said.

Addition of cyber and space domain has changed the battlefield scenario, the Army chief said. He said the Indian armed forces must be prepared for the future conflict with these changed character of the warfare.

Rawat said the armed forces need to be conscious about the dynamic and rapid technological advancements in the space, its militarisation and increasing integration of space capabilities in future war-fighting.

Referring to the raising of the Defence Space Agency, the Defence Cyber Agency and Special Operations Divisions, he said it is a step in transforming the armed forces towards jointness and integration.

Rawat said India has come a long way since Kargil and raising of new battalions in consonance of forces' operational requirements have taken place.

Improvements in the war-fighting doctrine, strategy and concepts have been enunciated and revised continuously, he said. Reorganisation of the Indian Army is currently underway and these efforts are a step towards achieving a lean force.

The Congress on Saturday expressed strong concern over reports of the Chinese Army crossing the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh division of Jammu and Kashmir last week.

"We condemn the attempts of the Chinese army of continuous interference with our territory and its hostile attitude towards India. It is a serious matter for the country, about their incursion in Damchok", JKPCC Chief Spokesperson Ravinder Sharma said.

Chinese soldiers crossed the LAC in Demchok sector of Ladakh division after some Tibetans hoisted Tibetan flags on the occasion of Dalai Lama's birthday, security officials had said. There was another version of the incident with South

Block sources saying the Chinese personnel, who were in "civilian clothes", did not cross the LAC but showed banners that read "Ban all activities to split Tibet".

Recalling the tension with the Chinese Army in Doklam sector in 2017, Sharma said intrusion in Demchok was very disturbing.

"It is very aggressive posturing of China for past few years and now its quite a hostile neighbour", he said.