Armed forces will give befitting reply to Pak until it stops infiltration, says Rajnath

Leh/Srinagar, Oct. 21 (PTI): Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday said the armed forces will keep giving befitting reply to Pakistan until it stops infiltration over which Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik also warned that the army will go deep inside and destroy terrorist camps.

The assertions by Singh and Malik came a day after Army chief General Bipin Rawat said that 6 to 10 Pakistan Army personnel were killed and three terror camps destroyed in retaliatory action by the Indian Army across the Line of Control(LoC) opposite the Tangdhar and Keran sectors in Jammu and Kashmir.

Singh was speaking at a function in Leh for the inauguration of the 1,400-ft Col Chewang Rinchen bridge in eastern Ladakh over Shyok River, the highest-altitude permanent bridge in the country.

In his address, he also asserted that after abrogation of sections of Article 370 and Article 35A, the Ladakh region will now only “draw friends” and “leave no scope for enemies”.

“However, our neighbour Pakistan… Our armed forces have never been offensive on the Pakistani side. We have never done the first firing,” Singh said.

“But, by supporting terror activities attempts have been made from the other side to destabilise, weaken and compromise the integrity of India,” he added.

And, Indian armed forces have given a “befitting reply” to them, he said.

Singh said, “If they do not stop infiltration, our armed forces will keep giving befitting reply until they (Pakistan) stop such activities.”

Talking to reporters on the sidelines of a function in Srinagar, Governor Malik said if Pakistan does not end terror activities directed against India, the Army will go deep inside and destroy terrorist camps.

“Pakistan will have to behave and stop these terror camps. If it does not behave, we will go deep inside and destroy these camps,” he said.

India will take stronger action than Sunday’s attacks on terror camps in Pakistan if it does not end terror activities directed towards India, he added.