ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: Pakistan on Thursday warned India against any misadventure of surgical strikes, saying it could endanger regional peace and stability.
Last Monday, the Indian Army Chief Bipin Rawat said that India might resort to carry out another surgical strike if necessary as it did in September last year in Pakistani-administered Kashmir.
In his weekly media briefing in Islamabad on Thursday, the Foreign Office Spokesman Nafees Zakaria said such irresponsible statements could cause uncomfortable environment, not only for Pakistan but also for the regional countries.
“Pakistan urges the international community to take notice of such absurd lies and false claims on India’s behalf,” he added.
It is pertinent to mention that Pakistan had rebutted Indian claims of carrying out any surgical strikes on its soil last year, and said if such incident ever occurred, it would be strongly responded.
The Spokesman said “In 2016, the then Director General ISPR Lt General Asim Salim Bajwa also described the Indian claim of surgical strike as totally baseless. To prove, he took national and international media representatives on the area where India had claimed to have surgical strikes done.”
Zakaria said Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi in his speech at the 72nd Session of the UN General Assembly in New York on September 21 also reaffirmed that Pakistan was firmly resolved to protect its dignity and honour and can strongly react to any external and internal threat.
Replying to a question regarding India’s role in Afghanistan and military expansion, the Spokesman said India was using the Afghan soil to carry out terrorist activities inside Pakistan, adding that it was sponsoring terrorist organizations that remained no secret now.
In reply to another question, Zakaria said Pakistan attached great importance to its relations with Afghanistan. He said both the Countries needed to move forward in terms of regional business and defense cooperation.
“Foreign Secretary’s recent visit to Afghanistan and meeting between the official of the two countries on the sidelines of UNGA session speaks volumes of Pakistan’s interest in Afghan Issue,” he added.
Nafees Zakaria said the sideline meetings were also instrumental in dispelling impressions created with regard to Pakistan-US relations and Pakistan-Afghanistan relations, bridging gaps, and reaffirmation of similarity of views on the situation in this region.
