Surgical strikes were 'message' to Pakistan, says Indian army chief

KARACHI: Indian army chief General Bipin Rawat Monday termed the so-called surgical strikes a "message" to Pakistan, which he said could be repeated, according to India media.

General Rawat, during his interaction with newsmen on Monday evening, said if the other side did not behave then the strikes would be repeated, the India Today reported.

He added that apart from surgical strikes there were also other measures of counteraction.

‘Surgical strikes’ claim creates controversy in India

According to Indian media reports, Shankar questioned why Kejriwal wanted proof of surgical strikes, saying this was an insult to the Indian army.

International media casts doubt on Indian ‘surgical strikes’ claim

‘The Diplomat’ in a piece titled ‘Is India Capable of a Surgical Strike in Pakistan Controlled Kashmir?’ raised some serious questions about Indian military's capabilities

On September 29, India claimed to have conducted surgical strikes in Azad Kashmir, saying that several terrorists were killed in the military action conducted inside Pakistani territory.

The claims were not only rebuffed by Pakistan and the international media, but they also prompted demands from some Indian political leaders for New Delhi to substantiate it with evidence.

The Modi government drew criticism after the Pakistani military took a bus full of local and international journalists to the border area in order to show them the ground facts.

Furthermore, the United Nations said its mission tasked with monitoring the ceasefire line between India and Pakistan "has not directly observed" any cross-border surgical strike as claimed by India.

UN mission finds no proof of Indian 'surgical strike' claims

Indian military is not capable of conducting surgical strikes in the presence of Pakistan's missile system, states a report issued in a Japanese magazine

The UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) "has not directly observed any firing across the LoC related to the latest incident," Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon told reporters days after the Indian claims.

Having been failed to substantiate the claims, Indian Premier Narendra Modi later barred his party members from commenting on the matter.