Pakistan has reacted strongly to remarks by India’s defence minister, terming threats to carry out military action on Pakistani soil if provoked as “highly irresponsible, provocative and gratuitous”.
India’s Defence Minister Rajnath had said that his country would carry out operations across the international border into Pakistani territory if India’s western neighbour “creates a lot of trouble”.
Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) rejected the remarks by the Indian Defence Minister threatening Pakistan.
“His unfounded remarks are delusional and reflective of India’s characteristic hostility towards its neighbours on the other. India’s smear campaign against Pakistan has been totally exposed and discredited. It has no takers in the international community.”
Pakistan is fully capable of defending itself against any aggression. The entire world was witness to Pakistan’s capability and resolve in thwarting the Indian misadventure in February 2019, the statement said.
“While fully prepared to respond to India’s provocations and irresponsible behaviour, Pakistan will continue to act responsibly and contribute to all efforts for promoting peace, security and stability in the region and beyond.”
The Foreign Office added that “Indian leaders engage in falsehoods and fantasies while pointing fingers at neighbours including Pakistan. In doing so India wants to divert the attention of the international community from the widespread violations of human rights and international humanitarian law committed by the Indian occupation forces in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).”
It is a well-documented fact that Indian occupation forces have been committing egregious human rights violations and grave crimes against innocent Kashmiris in IIOJK including extra-judicial killings, custodial deaths, torture, arbitrary detentions, using people including innocent children as human shield, and collective punishment by demolishing homes.
The dossier presented by Pakistan to the international community in September 2021 contains incontrovertible evidence of the gross and systematic human rights violations and crimes against humanity by Indian occupation forces in IIOJK.