Chief of Army Staff Gen. Asim Munir on Thursday warned that any aggression against Pakistan from India will trigger a “swift, resolute, and notch-up response.”
Addressing troops during a visit to the Tilla Field Firing Ranges, where he witnessed a field training exercise of the Army’s Mangla Strike Corps, Gen. Munir stressed there can be no ambiguity about Pakistan’s response following any Indian misadventure. “While Pakistan remains committed to regional peace, our preparedness and resolve to safeguard national interests is absolute,” the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) quoted him as saying.
During his visit, the Army chief also lauded the high morale, combat proficiency, and warfighting spirit of the officers and troops, terming them the embodiment of Pakistan Army’s operational excellence.
Earlier this week, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi reportedly granted his country’s armed forces “complete operational freedom to decide on the mode, targets and timing of our response” to the Pahalgam incident in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). Within minutes of the incident in which terrorists killed 26 people, Delhi started blaming Pakistan, though has yet to offer any evidence of its allegations. The mounting tensions prompted Pakistan’s officials to declare a viable threat of Indian incursions within the next 24-36 hours.
According to the ISPR, the field training exercise—Exercise Hammer Strike—aimed to validate combat readiness, battlefield synergy, and the operational integration of cutting-edge weapon systems under near-battlefield conditions. A diverse array of advanced capabilities, including multirole fighter aircraft, combat aviation assets, long-range precision artillery, and next-generation field engineering techniques were employed to simulate conventional battlefield scenarios.
Troops from all arms and services demonstrated exceptional tactical cohesion, agility, and lethality during synchronized offensive maneuvers—reflecting an extraordinary level of training and professionalism. The exercise highlighted the Pakistan Army’s increasing absorption of niche and emerging technologies to augment its kinetic and non-kinetic operational capabilities.
Persistent Threat
Separately, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar told media that India must make public any evidence it has, adding that Delhi had used such incidents as pretexts to attack Pakistan in the past. Noting Pakistan had demanded an impartial inquiry to prove its innocence, he said Islamabad was also engaging friendly nations to apprise them of the evolving situation.
To a question, he said the situation was “fluctuating” but stressed intelligence reports suggested India might attempt an attack shortly. “Our armed forces are on alert … we are conducting exercises, and there is much at the operational level which I cannot share right now,” he said, stressing the armed forces were ready for self-defense.