General urges caution after India's 'heavy price' threat
A retired Indian military commander has called on New Delhi to exercise caution after a car bombing in the disputed region of Kashmir prompted threats of a confrontation.
The attack, described the worst against India's government forces in Kashmir’s history, killed at least 44 Indian troops near the main city of Srinagar on Thursday.
India, which regularly accuses neighboring Pakistan of supporting militants in Kashmir, swiftly pointed the finger of blame at Islamabad and promised a “crushing response.”
US national security adviser John Bolton waded into the fray, expressing support for New Delhi's tough talk which risked a fresh escalation of tensions in the Subcontinent.
In a telephone conversation with his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval, the hawkish US official “vowed to work together to ensure that Pakistan cease to be a safe haven" for terrorist groups.
Lieutenant General D.S. Hooda, however, urged caution as he expressed hope for “rethinking and reconciliation” from all sides of the conflict.
The former general was in charge of the Indian army’s northern command at the frontier with Pakistan in Kashmir and oversaw India’s “surgical strikes” in September 2016 after militants raided a military base that killed 19 Indian soldiers.
In an interview with the Associated Press on Saturday, Hooda did not predict a major flare-up, saying that “some kind of limited military strike against Pakistan is more than likely.”
His remarks came after India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the terrorist groups had committed a "big mistake," and that they would have to pay "a heavy price."
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