Pakistan will strike \u201cdeeper within India\u201d and \u201cstart from the east\u201d if India were to carry out any military action along the lines of Operation Sindoor in the future, director general of Pakistan military\u2019s media wing told The Economist. Lt-General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, spokesman for the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), also downplayed speculation that Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir harbours any political ambitions or that his ideological bent is more stark than that of his predecessors. Asked how Pakistan would respond to any future Indian military action, given Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi\u2019s assertion that terror attacks would be met with decisive force, Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry added, \u201cThey also need to understand that they can be hit everywhere.\u201d The remarks come amid heightened tensions between the two countries following the Pahalgam attack and India\u2019s response in the form of Operation Sindoor launched by Indian armed forces on 7 May. The Pakistani military spokesman further underlined that Army Chief Asim Munir\u2019s speech on 16 April, just six days before the Pahalgam attack, reflected his personal beliefs. \u201cHe was saying what he stands for, what he is ready to die for,\u201d Chaudhry added. In the speech, Munir revived the \u2018two-nation theory\u2019 and called Kashmir the \u201cjugular vein\u201d of Pakistan. \u201cWe are two nations, not one,\u201d he declared. \u201cOur forefathers thought we are different from Hindus in every possible aspect of life\u2014our religions, customs, traditions, thoughts and ambitions.\u201d He added that \u201cno power in the world\u201d could separate Kashmir from Pakistan. In his conversation with The Economist, Chaudhry further dismissed talks that Army Chief Asim Munir harbours political ambitions, calling suggestions of a presidential bid \u201cnonsense\u201d. He rejected the notion that Army Chief Asim Munir is more ideological than his predecessors, describing him instead as someone \u201cwell-versed with the West\u201d and \u201cresolutely opposed\u201d to jihadist groups operating within Pakistan.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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