Rawat said it would no longer be “hide and seek” and if India had to cross the border, it would do so through air, ground route or both. (Photo: File)

New Delhi: Indian Army chief General Bipin Rawat has said that the surgical strikes have sent across a message that the Line of Control (LoC) will be “sacrosanct” so long as Pakistan does not vitiate the atmosphere.

In an interview to Times of India, Rawat said it would no longer be “hide and seek” and if India had to cross the border, it would do so through air, ground route or both.

The Army chief also blamed Pakistan for supporting terrorism and said the neighbour had specifically called for ‘jihad’ after the Narendra Modi government’s decision to scrap the special status of Jammu and Kashmir, reported News18. He added that it was Pakistan’s state policy to fight a proxy war with India.

Tensions between India and Pakistan have been on the rise since the government decided to scrap Article 370 which gave Jammu and Kashmir a special status and divide the state into two Union Territories — J&K and Ladakh.