File photo of Pakistan Army chief Raheel Sharif.
Pakistan Army Chief Raheel Sharif's provocative comments warning India were today described as "
faltu (useless) shouting" by union minister VK Singh, a former Army Chief.
"
Koi faltu mein chilla raha hai to chillane do. (If someone is shouting uselessly then let them). When India has to respond, it is fully capable and prepared)," General Singh said today.
The Pakistani army chief had on Sunday threatened an "unbearable cost" to India of any war, "short or long".
"Let me reiterate that our armed forces stand fully capable to defeat all sorts of external aggression," General Sharif said at an event in Rawalpindi.
The comments were a direct response to Indian Army Chief Dalbir Singh Suhaag saying last week that India has to be prepared for "swift, short nature of future wars" because of frequent ceasefire violations by Pakistan and its "new methods" used to keep Jammu and Kashmir on the boil.
The Pakistan Army Chief said: "If the enemy ever resorts to any misadventure, regardless of its size and scale - short or long - it will have to pay an unbearable cost."
Saying that innocent people were "subjected to injustice, atrocities in Kashmir", General Sharif said: "Enduring peace is not possible without a just resolution of Kashmir. The issue can no longer be put on the back-burner."
The time had come, he said, for Kashmir to be resolved "in line with UN resolutions."
The Pakistan army chief was speaking at an event to mark the 1965 war with India.
At an event in Delhi to commemorate the same war, the Indian Army chief had said that the borders were live and active because of frequent ceasefire violations and infiltration bids by Pakistan.
"We are acutely aware that the swift, short nature of future wars are likely to offer limited warning time - this calls for maintaining very high levels of operational preparedness at all times," said General Singh.