New Delhi, November 28: On the day when Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan preached peace to India, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Bipin Rawat accused the neighbouring country of using hybrid warfare against New Delhi since independence. General Rawat, delivering the 9th YB Chavan Memorial Lecture on Wednesday at the Institute of Defence Studies and Analyses on 'Addressing the Challenges of Hybrid Conflict in the 21st Century', said India would respond to the hybrid warfare in Jammu and Kashmir with full force. He also alleged that Pakistan always used irregulars in its army during 1947-48, 1965 and the Kargil war of 1999. Army Chief Gen Bipin Rawat Wants Illegal Immigrants 'Deported', Says Parties Supporting Them 'Undermining National Security'

The army chief also accused Pakistan of cleverly changing the demographics in the Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK)  to erode the Kashmiri identity. General Rawat also reiterated that India should not forget about the PoK, but first should resolve issues in its own part of Kashmir. While speaking on the Kartarpur Corridor, the army chief said that it should be should be seen in isolation, without being linked to anything else. Meanwhile, he stressed on the stand of the Indian government that terror and talks could not go together. Army Chief General Bipin Rawat Claims Nepal And Bhutan More Inclined Towards India Due To Geography

Citing the surgical strike of 2016, the COAS said that the Indian Army has the capability to strike across the border, the escalation matrix needs to be prepared as these actions could lead to bigger conflict. At the same time he said that if India has to take such call, it would not hesitate. General Rawat added that that the Pakistani military enjoyed supremacy in the country’s internal affairs, therefore it could use all governmental agencies in coordination against India.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 29, 2018 12:10 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).