Commander National Strategic Command (CNSC) General Aamer Raza warned the country’s adversaries on Saturday that “any miscalculation will be met with a response far beyond the imagination or the calculation of the initiator”.
“To those who harbour hostile designs across our borders, our stance remains resolute and unambiguous. There is no space for conflict or war in a nuclearised environment and any miscalculation will be met with a response far beyond the imagination or calculation of the initiator,” warned the commander of Pakistan’s strategic command.
Addressing the passing-out parade of cadets of the 154th Long Course at the Pakistan Military Academy (PMA), Kakul, he reiterated that the country’s armed forces stood ready to “defend every inch of the motherland” at all costs.
The warning by the strategic command commander comes after provocative remarks by Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. He had warned Pakistan on Thursday that any “fresh terrorist activity from across the border would invite a strike even bigger than the last time”, according to Indian news agency ANI.
Gen Raza said that in the “post-truth era”, the country’s adversaries sought to drive a wedge between the people of Pakistan and its armed forces through “calculated disinformation and narrative warfare”.
He elaborated that following the failure of Operation Sindoor, the adversaries sought to “fracture Pakistan’s social cohesion and state infrastructure” through an escalation of proxy terrorism and sub-conventional warfare.
Gen Raza further said that hostile elements continue to attempt to exploit the country’s internal vulnerabilities to “cultivate proxy instruments against our national unity”.
“You must understand unequivocally that this conflict is waged directly against the security of our people and the freedom secured by the supreme sacrifices of our predecessors.”
The strategic command commander added that the people of Pakistan must remain acutely mindful that safeguarding the country’s unity, sovereign integrity and territorial inviolability is “an absolute imperative, which we shall uphold at all costs and under every circumstance”.
Addressing the newly-graduated cadets, he added that they must remain steadfast in their duty and unwavering in their resolve and “immune to malicious propaganda and narrative warfare”.
Pakistan’s role in regional peace
Gen Raza said the recent shifts in global geopolitics, particularly amid the escalating conflict in the Middle East, had “once again underscored Pakistan’s pivotal strategic importance on the international stage”.
“Our decisive role in restoring regional stability, exemplified by the landmark Islamabad Accord, demonstrates our enduring commitment to peace and diplomacy,” he said, adding that the Makkah Accord was “a sequel to the same vision of durable peace”.
Expressing solidarity with the Palestinian people, he said: “Our hearts remain heavily burdened by the ongoing tragedy in Palestine, where innocent men, women and children continue to endure unspeakable hardship and systematic oppression.”
He said the Pakistani nation stood “resolute and unwavering in its diplomatic, moral and political support” for the Palestinians.
“The persistent violence, targeting of non-combatants and destruction of civilian infrastructure are profound violations of international law and a grave stain on the collective conscience of humanity,” Gen Raza said.
“Today, the world witnesses increasing volatility, where grey-zone warfare and hybrid threats attempt to destabilise sovereign states,” he added.
FO condemns Singh’s ‘provocative remarks’
A day earlier, the Foreign Office (FO) condemned Singh’s “provocative remarks” threatening aggression against Pakistan, saying such statements highlighting the neighbouring country’s “hegemonistic mindset”.
“Pakistan rejects and condemns the Indian defence minister’s provocative remarks entailing a threat of Indian aggression against Pakistan. Such reckless statements reflect India’s hegemonistic mindset and the risk its belligerent posture poses to regional peace and stability in South Asia,” FO spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan said.
“We wish to remind India of the consequences of its military aggression in May last year, when Pakistan demonstrated both its capability and resolve to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity and gave a befitting response and reply to Indian aggression,” he said, referring to the brief military conflict between the two countries.
He said that there should be “no ambiguity” that Pakistan remained fully prepared to safeguard its “sovereignty and territorial integrity” against any “ill-advised aggression”.
Haider said Pakistan’s “restraint and commitment to peace” should not be mistaken for weakness, warning that any aggression would be met with a “forceful response”.
“India should draw an appropriate lesson from last year’s experience and abandon its belligerent posture and dangerous rhetoric and act with responsibility for lasting peace in the region,” he said.