As PM Modi's Balochistan remark rattles Islamabad, Pak Army chief says 'We know our enemy well'

Islamabad: Prime Minister Narendra Modi's statement on Balochistan seemed to have hit Pakistan where it hurts the most.

Rattled by PM Modi's remark, Pakistan Army Chief General Raheel Sharif on Thursday said that his country “understands the ploy of its enemy”.

Allaying concerns over the security of its flagship CPEC project, he said that the China-Pakistan joint venture will be protected at all cost.

The war against terror is a matter of Pakistan's survival, he said during a seminar on China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in Gilgit.

Beijing wants to develop the Gilgit-Baltistan region like the northwestern Chinese city of Urumqi, Geo TV quoted him as saying.

Though he didn't mention why there has been apparently more emphasis on the security of CPEC, Pakistan suspects that India may create trouble, particularly in the backdrop of New Delhi raising the Baloch and the PoK issues.

General Sharif stressed that his Army will eliminate the nexus between corruption and terrorism at all cost.

He added that the security forces have made significant progress in the anti-terror operation Zarb-e-Azab and the nation's borders are secured.

“The way we tackled the menace of terrorism, no one has been able to replicate that,” he said.