Pakistan and Kashmir are inseparable, says army chief Sharif

• Gen Sharif says Pakistan’s enemies supporting terrorism to stoke sub-conventional conflicts and destabilise country
• India says Pakistan can ‘keep harbouring wrong notions’ on Kashmir

Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Raheel Sharif on Wednesday said that Pakistan and Kashmir are inseparable, and that Kashmir is “an unfinished agenda of partition”.

The statement was tweeted by Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Maj-Gen Asim Bajwa.

Addressing a conference at the National Defence University, the army chief said, “While we wish for peace and stability in region, we want Kashmir’s just resolution in the light of United Nations resolutions and as per aspirations of the Kashmiri people to bring lasting peace in region.”

General Sharif further said that contours of future wars are fast changing. He said, “While our enemies are supporting terrorism to stoke sub-conventional conflicts and destabilise our country, we are fully determined, capable of defeating nefarious designs.”

“Pakistan is opposed to the use proxies against other countries and won’t allow any country to use proxies against Pakistan,” he further said.

The army chief’s statement follows a flurry of similar assertions that India is involved in stoking terrorism in Pakistan. In recent weeks, the military and civilian leadership have expressed serious concerns of India’s “nefarious designs”, with top government officials saying India is attempting to sabotage Pakistan’s historic $46 billion agreement with China.

The Pakistan Army last month asserted that Indian spy agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) is involved in terrorism in Pakistan.

INDIA HITS BACK:

Reacting to Gen Raheel Sharif’s remarks, India said Pakistan can keep “harbouring the wrong notions” but that will not make any difference to actual conditions.

“I think this is the notion they will keep harbouring. They can keep harbouring that wrong notion. It will not make any difference to actual conditions,” Indian Minister of State for External Affairs VK Singh said.