Pakistan doesn’t have a no first use policy, DG-ISPR Major General Asif Ghafoor told the media during a briefing on Wednesday.
These comments came as a response to Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh recent statement that the fate of his country’s no first use policy on nuclear warheads “depends on the circumstances.”
In a series of tweets, Singh said that India remains stuck to the doctrine of not using nuclear weapons first but “what happens (in the future) depends on the circumstances”.
You cannot disconnect the country’s situation with the overall environment, warned Major General Ghafoor. The world’s superpowers have economic interests here and the geographical location is crucial, he said, mentioning that it is a significant region. Major General Ghafoor said Pakistan has 200,000 troops along the Afghan border but plans to reduce the western deployments as peace enters the region. Slowly, we will decrease the troops and then eventually withdraw them, he said.
India is worried about the Pakistan Army move to relief from its western border following peace in Afghanistan and become a major threat for India. Wars are not fought just with weapons and economic stability, it is fought with passion, nation’s confidence and the capability of our forces, said Major General Ghafoor. “You can’t put a price on someone’s respect and you should remember what happened on February 27.”
In this environment, India’s moves are those of warmongers as the region moves towards peace, said Major General Ghafoor. In his first speech, the prime minister made offers of peace talks but Modi sent a fighter jet, he said. The PM has confirmed there will be no more offers, said the ISPR chief.
Pakistan won’t stop until the August 5 step is reversed, he said, stressing that it will never accept any decision that goes against Kashmiris’ right to self-determination. Modi-led Indian government will tend to increase atrocities and inbuilt violence and relate it with terrorism, and name the independence fight terrorism, he said. DG-ISPR said he believed India will begin false flag operations and LoC escalations but Pakistan will respond.
“If the other avenues fail, warfighting will become an option by compulsion if not by choice,” he said, adding that no matter the cost, Pakistan will take this to the very end. “Till the last bullet, last soldier and last breath,” he promised.
