Future conflicts will be more violent and unpredictable, says Army Chief Gen Rawat

New Delhi, July 13: Asserting that the Army stands resolute to defend the Indian territory, Chief of Army Staff General Bipin Rawat on Saturday said Pakistan army time and again resorts to misadventure through flawed proxy wars, state sponsored terror and intrusions.

Speaking at seminar on '20 years after Kargil conflict', General Rawat said any misadventure by Pakistan will be repelled with a punitive response.

"Future conflicts will be more violent and unpredictable where the importance of human factor shall remain undiminished. Our soldiers are and will remain our primary assets. Battlefield will be severely contested and seamlessly connected," he said.

"In future, even conventional conflicts are likely to have a large asymmetric component leading to now what is being termed 'hybrid war'. Technology has become key driver of future wars," he added.

Further more, General Bipin Rawat said there has been no intrusion by the Chinese in Ladakh's Demchok sector. "There is no intrusion," Rawat said on the sidelines of the event.

His statement comes amidst reports of Chinese soldiers crossing the Line of Actual Control (LAC) last week after some Tibetans hoisted Tibetan flags on the occasion of Dalai Lama's birthday on July 6.

"Chinese come and patrol to their perceived Line of Actual Control...we try and prevent them. But at times there are celebrations that take place at the local levels. Celebrations were going on our side by our Tibetans in the Demchok sector. Based on that, some Chinese also came to see what was happening. But there has been no intrusions. Everything is normal," the Army chief said.

India and China share a disputed border and the armies of the two countries were engaged in a stand-off for 73 days in 2017 in Doklam.