Islamabad: The Pakistan Army on Thursday warned India of proper response in case of any attack against the country.
Outgoing military spokesman Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor in his interaction with defence correspondents talked about the statement by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and possible reaction by Pakistan.
Addressing the National Cadet Corps in New Delhi, Modi on Tuesday said the Indian armed forces won't take more than a week-10 days to make Pakistan bite dust.
"India will start the war, but we will end it," said Ghafoor, who has been posted as the General Officer Commanding Okara in Punjab province, bordering India.
"It's not about 7-10 days but also about before and after this period," he said, referring to Prime Minister Modi's remarks.
Ghafoor added that the Pakistan Army had been fighting for two decades against terrorists and was fully prepared to deal with any situation.
He said that the two countries came close to a war in 2019 but the Pakistan Army ensured peace through its preparedness and proper response.
"Superior military strategy of (Pakistan Army chief) General Qamar Javed Bajwa saved South Asia from a big catastrophe," he claimed.
Pakistan's civil and military leadership wanted peace in the region and the Indian civil and military leaders should realise the importance of peace, he added.
When asked whether New Delhi was happy that he was transferred, Ghafoor said: "If India is happy then it is my honour."
He thanked the Pakistani people and the media for cooperating during his stay as spokesman of the army.
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Ghafoor said whatever he said as the army spokesman was not his views but those of the institution he represented.
His successor Maj Gen Babur Iftikhar would assume charge from Saturday.
Earlier in the day, Pakistan's foreign ministry had taken objection to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's statement that the country won't be able to stand against India for even 10 days in case a war breaks out between the two South Asian nuclear-powered nations.
Terming Modi's statement as "irresponsible and warlike", Islamabad also condemned the prime minister's statements on terrorism in the Kashmir region.
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A spokeswoman for Pakistan's foreign ministry Aisha Farooqui on Wednesday said, "Pakistan rejects the Indian Prime Minister's statement."
She said the statement is yet another attempt to divert attention from the domestic and international criticism of the Indian government by turning to the "unpredictable Pakistan craze".
Farooqui described Modi's statement as provocative.
"No one should underestimate the resolve to effectively thwart any of their offensive operations by the Pakistani armed forces and the people," she said.
New Delhi claimed to have killed many terrorists.
She said that Islamabad had also caught Indian Air Force pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman in retaliation and Pakistani aircraft had entered the Indian air space.
With inputs from PTI
