‘Don’t mess up with us’: Pakistani general has stark warnings for India about military ‘misadventure’ as Kashmir tensions soar

Major General Asif Ghafoo warned India that Pakistan would ‘defend every inch of our country till the last breath and last bullet’

He spoke in the wake of a deadly bombing, blamed on Pakistan-based militants, that killed 41 Indian troops in Kashmir and triggered calls for retaliation

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Pakistani army spokesman Major General Asif Ghafoor said he hoped India “will not mess up with us”, amid tensions in Kashmir. Photo: AP

Published: 1:48am, 23 Feb 2019Updated: 10:11pm, 23 Feb 2019

Pakistan’s military warned India on Friday against “misadventure”, saying it was capable of responding to any threats amid new tension between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.

“We hope you will not mess up with us,” military spokesman Major General Asif Ghafoor told a press briefing in the garrison city of Rawalpindi, the second such message Pakistan has sent to New Delhi in as many days.

Protesters throw stones during a clash between communities in Jammu, in Indian-controlled Kashmir, on Friday, a day after militants killed 41 Indian troops in a bomb attack. Photo: AP

Tensions have soared in the days following a suicide attack in Kashmir that killed 41 Indian paramilitaries and was claimed by Islamist group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), based in Pakistan.

There have been calls in India for retaliation, but Pakistan - which denies aiding the militants - has threatened to respond in kind.