COAS warns India, says army morale up

MONITORING DESK

KARACHI: Chief of Army Staff (CoAS) General Raheel Sharif on Thursday termed India's so-called 'surgical strike' a 'farce'. "If Pakistan were to conduct a surgical strike, it would become a chapter in the Indian textbooks," the army chief said. The army chief, addressing members of a tribal jirga in Khyber Agency's Bara tehsil said the Pakistan Army is "the strongest force against terrorism". "They have eliminated terrorism from Pakistan's tribal areas," he said.

"I kept the morale of Pakistan Army up in my time, but I will hand over the reins to the next chief on November 29," he told members of the jirga. "We have fought the menace of terrorism together over the years," the army chief said. "It has woven us eternally in an unbreakable bond." "I hope that the relationship between the army and the nation will continue, even after I say goodbye to the Pakistan Army," he said. Talking about his post-retirement plans, he said he would like to dedicate his life to the welfare of the families of the slain soldiers.