Pakistan Will Up the Ante With Terror Attacks on Our Cities, Says Former Deputy NSA

New Delhi: Former deputy national security advisor Satish Chandra believes that Pakistan will up the ante with terror attacks on cities in India after the Indian Airforce strikes at the Jaish-e-Mohammed camp in Pakistan.

“Pakistan will stick to upping the ante with terror attacks on our cities and enhanced firing along the LOC and IB targeting civilians,” he said. Chandra, who has also served as high commissioner to Pakistan, said that the Balakot strike “was a well thought out operation which was flawlessly executed.”

A dozen Indian Air Force Mirage-2000 jets crossed the Line of Control (LoC) early on Tuesday morning and destroyed terror camps of Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed in Balakot. The attack comes two weeks after a terror strike on CRPF soldiers in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday directed the nation’s armed forces and people to remain prepared “for all eventualities” after holding an emergency meeting of the National Security Council.

Chandra said the air strike should not be seen as an on-off exercise by India.

“India must maintain a sustained campaign against Pakistan over the long haul designed to impose such costs that it is compelled to give up the use of terror against us. This should not only include military strikes as and when Pakistan exercises the terror option against us but also a whole of government response with economic, militarily, diplomatic, commercial, political, and covert elements,” he told News18.

He also said Pakistan threatening India with nuclear weapons “was nothing new.” Hours after the air strike by India, DG (ISPR), Major General Asif Ghafoor told the press in Islamabad that they would definitely respond and surprise India. Ghafoor added that his military would retain the escalation ladder.

“Pakistan threatening us with nuclear weapons is not anything new as they have done this for decades. It's just Psy ops and an effort at getting third-party intervention. If it is foolish enough to undertake a nuclear first strike it will be obliterated,” the former High Commissioner to Pakistan said.