Pakistan is preparing to respond to any future Indian incursions, according to Major General Asif Ghafoor. Pakistani-Indian relations have suffered recently, as a bitter war of words progresses between the two nuclear neighbours. This escalation in aggressive rhetoric comes after Pakistan-based militant group Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) claimed responsibility for a terror attack in India which killed 44 Indian Paramilitary police.
New Delhi was quick to accuse Pakistan of allowing JeM founder Masood Azhar “full freedom” to further his terror influence, which Pakistani officials have since denied.
The war against terror has been costly to Pakistan, which has suffered attacks on home soil and formerly aided the war on terror in Afghanistan.
As such, the landscape of the country’s military has been shifting, and now the country is also preparing against India.
Recent claims India was preparing for war prompted General Ghafoor to speak directly to Pakistan’s neighbour.
The General has declared Pakistan must be “prepared to respond” to any Indian incursion.
He said: “Pakistan is changing, we have suffered a lot in the war on terror.
“We helped international forces inside Afghanistan.
"You (India) shall not be able to surprise us. We will surprise you.”
However, General Ghafoor still pushed for democratic talks between the two countries.
He continued: ”You are the biggest democracy, two democracies do not fight.
“You are a secular country.
“Why should such circumstances be created where minorities are not safe.
"We are not preparing for war, but we have to be prepared to respond.”
General Ghafoor was also in favour of Iranian aid, saying their other neighbouring country was “brotherly” and wanted to work together to build a border fence.
Pakistan’s former President General Pervez Musharraf warned Pakistan would not survive if a conflict was initiated with India, however.
Addressing the press conference in UAE on Friday, he said: "Indian and Pakistan relations have again reached a dangerous level.
“If we attack India with one atomic bomb, then the neighbouring country could finish us by attacking with 20 bombs.
“Then the only solution is that we should first attack them with 50 atom bombs so that they cannot hit us with 20 bombs.
“Are you ready to first launch an attack with 50 bombs."