If Pakistan breaks rules, then we can too: Gen. Bikram Singh

Army Chief General Bikram Singh on Monday said if forces from across the border break rules, the Indian Army too would not hesitate to break them.

"If rules are followed by our neighbours, then we follow rules. If rules are broken, then we can't stick to the rules. We also got to break the rules," said General Singh, who was addressing his annual press conference.

He said proper action has been taken whenever there have been ceasefire violation.

"We reserve the right to retaliate. It means giving freedom of action to subordinate commanders along the Line of Control (LoC), to go ahead and deal with the situation, as they deem appropriate. The forces have done their bit," said.

"The soldiers have reacted well and with proper offensive spirit whenever required,"

"It depends on the situation along the LoC. It is a situation at the tactical level. The endeavor is not to escalate the situation into operational or strategic arena. It is to deal with the same measure if not more, and give a befitting response in the professional manner at the place where we are fired upon," he said.

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Both countries were involved in an exchange of firings in August. On 6 August 2013, five Indian army soldiers were killed in firing by Pakistani Special Forces at the LoC. The incident followed with a number of exchanges between the two forces for next couple days.

In January last year, three Pakistani and two Indian soldiers were killed in one of the worst outbreaks of tit-for-tat violence in Kashmir, ever since India and Pakistan agreed to a ceasefire along a de facto border nearly a decade ago.