Islamabad, February 22: Amid highting tension between India and Pakistan following the February 14 Pulwama attack, Pakistan Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Friday visited border areas in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and reviewed preparedness of troops. General Bajwa also interacted with troops and asked them 'to be ready to face any eventuality'.

"COAS visited Line of Control. Reviewed state of preparedness. Lauded high moral of troops," Major General Asif Ghafoor, Director General of the Pakistan Army's media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), said in a tweet. "Pakistan is a peace loving country but we will not be intimidated or coerced. Any aggression or misadventure shall be paid back in same coin," Bajwa was quoted as saying by ISPR. Imran Khan Asks Pakistan Army to 'Respond Decisively' to Any Indian Aggression.

Pakistan army's tweet on General Bajwa's visit to PoK:

Notably, nearly ten days after militants attacked the Army base camp in Uri that left 18 jawans dead on September 18, 2016, Indian armed forces conducted surgical strikes across the LoC in PoK and destroyed terrorist launch pads and killed many terrorists. The then DGMO, Lt General Ranbir Singh, had said the surgical strikes inflicted “significant casualties” on terrorists.

Bajwa's visit to LoC came hours after General Ghafoor accused India of sending war threats and warned of a "surprise response" if New Delhi initiated any aggression. "Pakistan is not preparing for war. Threats and reports of a war are coming from your (India's) side. We are only using our right to self-defence," he said at a press conference in Rawalpindi.

The tension between India and Pakistan is high after the Pulwama suicide bombing that killed 40 CRPF troopers and which was claimed by the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM).

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 22, 2019 09:45 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).