India's response post-Uri and Balakot demonstrates political and military will: Army chief

India's response after the 2016 Uri terror attack and Balakot Air strike have demonstrated the country's political and military will to respond to terror, Army chief General Bipin Rawat said here on Saturday.

Speaking at an event to mark the completion of 20 years of the Kargil war, he said, "We are working in a coordinated manner for a cogent and synchronized national response against sub-conventional and asymmetric threats by any adversary. Surgical strikes post-Uri and Balakot have amply demonstrated our political and military resolve against terror. Any act of terror will not go unpunished," he said speaking at an event to mark the completion of 20 years of the Kargil war.

Rawat also accused Pakistan of "resorting to misadventure" repeatedly and using proxies and terrorism and asserted that India will hit back with a "very punitive response" to every such attempt.

"Historically burdened by its own inadequacies, internal security and governance issues, Pakistan army time and again resorts to misadventure, either through flawed proxy wars and state-sponsored terror or intrusions in our country," he said.

"Indian armed forces stand resolute and ready to defend our territorial integrity. Let there be no doubt that any misadventure will be repelled with a very punitive response," he added.

Talking about the changing nature of wars, the Army chief said that non-state actors have gained prominence in some countries. "The rise of non-state actors and readiness to use terror and other irregular methods of fighting has become the new norms," he said.

He also underlined the threat posed by who he called "ideological driven radicalized proxies", Rawat emphasized on the need to "reorient and optimize capacities to effectively counter both military and non-military facets of asymmetric and unconventional wars emerging from within and outside the country."

"Ideological driven radicalized proxies having footprints across nations are likely to enhance the operating space," he said.

He informed the gathering that India has been remembering the fallen soldiers in the Kargil war from July 5 to July 27.