Dear Friends,

Is it a case of barking dogs seldom bite or Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan has realised that his challenge of nuclear war with India will be met more than adequately by the neighbour he is scared of and his false bravado seems to have petered off when he stated today that Pakistan will never ever use the nuclear warheads first.

“We both are nuclear-armed countries. If these tensions increase, the world could be in danger. There will be no first from our side ever,” he said while addressing members of the Sikh religious community in Lahore.

On the other hand General Qamar Javed Bajwa, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Pakistan Army has been visiting Pakistan Army’s formations to motivate and access operational preparedness. He visited HQs Lahore Corps & Pakistan Rangers Punjab and was briefed on border situation & operational preparedness. But the joke of the week was his statement, “ Counter Terrorism Operations have made Pakistan Army battle hardened.” Does he want the world to believe that Pakistan Army has suddenly become a fighter of terror from a perpetrator of terror and protector of terrorists? Or he has suddenly discovered that the world is a jambooree of brainless fools?

He also visited HQ Gujranwala Corps on Friday and happily spoke to the soldiers on the solidarity displayed by the nation with Kashmiri brethren during Kashmir Hour which is a strong message to the world. Does he need to be reminded that the soldiers do not get motivated by created civilian reactions ?

COAS also visited formations of Strike Corps. He was briefed on the state of operational preparedness.“Strike Corps has critical and decisive role in war. Your state of preparedness, training standards and high morale are very encouraging which enhance confidence”, he said. Well he can project to the force he heads that the nation is all set to attack India but he knows that he and his puppet Prime Minister will have to think hundred times over and over again even to look towards India’s direction.

In a perception management exercise Pakistan flexed its newly developed muscles by carrying out a night training launch of surface to surface ballistic missile Ghaznavi, capable of delivering multiple types of warheads upto a range of 290 kilometers. This training launch was the culminating point of the Field Training Exercise of Army Strategic Forces Command, which was aimed at practicing quick response procedures. Well in the glee they forgot to tell their nation that India has the Agni series which are not only more potent but also more than double the range.

Pakistan Army Chief also visited formation Headquarters at Gilgit and appreciated state of readiness and morale despite challenges of weather, terrain and the enemy at the highest battlefield of the world. He said that they are alive to threat from Eastern Border linked to ongoing situation in J&K and were fully prepared to thwart any misadventure or aggression. Well does he need to be reminded that J&K is an internal matter of India and till Pakistan remembers this, misadventure seems a remote possibility by India. But if Pakistan continues to butt in India will not think twice and the Pakistan Army will in that situation be insufficient to thwart anything.

High time both the Pakistan Army Chief and his Prime Minister realised that New Delhi is strong , has foresight and great global relations which have ensured that the world knows of Pakistan’s instigation to keep peace away from the region. Not that the world ever had any doubts about this. So if both of them think that the Kashmir Solidarity card will win them global goodwill, they are dreaming. Wishful thinking is not bad but in this case if wishes were horses the beggars would ride and the ride would be the bumpiest ever. Can Pakistan afford this ?

Sangeeta Saxena

03 September 2019