Let surgical strike remain a surprise, says Army chief Bipin Rawat

Army chief General Bipin Rawat on Sunday said that that it is not the first time that the Pakistan Army has carried out the barbaric act against Indian soldiers.

The comment comes after a BSF jawan Narendra Kumar was shot and his throat slit recently, followed by the abduction and brutal killings of three policemen in Jammu and Kashmir.

"They have been carrying out barbaric acts and Pakistan Army is used to doing this. It is not the first time that they have done it," the Army chief was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

On being asked if India will carry out another surgical strike against Pakistan, Rawat said, "Surgical strike is a weapon of surprise. Let it remain a surprise."

Earlier on Saturday, Rawat said that stern action is needed to avenge the barbarism by terrorists and the Pakistan Army against Indian soldiers without resorting to brutality.

"We need to take stern action to avenge the kind of barbarism that terrorists and the Pakistan Army have been carrying out against our soldiers. It is time to give it back to them in the same coin, but not by resorting to a similar kind of barbarism. I think the other side must feel the same pain," he said at a press conference.

Referring to the killing of the BSF solider whose mutilated body was found in Jammu, the Army chief said such acts were unacceptable and there was a need to avenge it.

He said the Indian Army had carried out successful operations against the Pakistan Army whenever they did something against India along the border.

"Pakistan has suffered many casualties and we have been able to take on their defence system to a large extent, but we never resorted to barbarism. They requested for a ceasefire in May and we agreed, but if they continue to do this, we will need to take other action," Rawat said.

"If you look at it, the casualty and damage suffered by the other side is far more than what we have been suffering. We have done it a professional and a military-like manner," he insisted.

The Army chief also made it clear that India and the Indian Army would not be scared by any threat from Pakistan.

Asked to comment on Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's tweet expressing "disappointment" on India's decision to cancel a meeting of foreign ministers, the Army chief said talks and terrorism cannot go hand in hand and Pakistan needed to curb the menace of terrorism.

(With PTI inputs)