In a stern message, Army chief General Bipin Rawat on Friday said the Army will call Pakistan’s nuclear bluff — of threatening India that it will use nuclear weapons in case of war — even as he asserted that the Indian Army will continue to target the Pakistan Army posts aiding and abetting terrorists along the loC and will take a call about ceasefire only after the infiltration stops.
As regards an “assertive” China, Rawat said India cannot afford its neighbours to drift away and should have good relations with them to act as a counter balance to the eastern neighbour.
Conceding that China is a regional power, the Army chief, however, stated India is not a “weak nation”.
These observations came in the backdrop of incursions and transgressions by China at the lAC leading to face-offs between the two armies like the Doklam incident lasting more than 70 days last year.