By Matthias Samuel
On 20th October 2019, Indian Army claimed to target so-called terror launching pads in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and killed five Pakistan Army soldiers. According to Indian Media “At least three terror launch pads in Jura, Athmuqam and Kundalsahi in PoK were targeted and destroyed by the Indian Army”. In fact India violated the ceasefire agreement and illegally targeted the civil population. On the other hand, Pakistan refuted the fake claims of India and arranged the visit of friendly countries’ diplomats after two days of the Indian attack. Pakistan on 22nd October took Islamabad-based diplomats and foreign journalists to the Line of Control (LoC), debunking Indian army chief’s claims of destroying terror “launch pads” in Azad Kashmir.
The diplomatic corps visited Jura, Shahkot and Nousheri’s sectors along the LoC hit by Indian firing on 19th & 20th October. The Foreign Office Spokesperson Dr Mohammad Faisal and the Director General ISPR Major General Asif Ghafoor accompanied the envoys. Gen Ghafoor briefed the diplomatic corps and the media about the Indian violations in the border area. He said that the Indian forces are targeting innocent civilians. The diplomats and the media themselves reviewed the current situation in the area. They also visited Jura market and interacted with the locals there.
Also Read: Pakistan Army Takes Foreign Diplomats to Line of Control
It is important to mention that Indian Chargé D’affaires was also invited to prove the claim of his army chief before the foreign diplomats, but the Indian side did not respond to the invitation. The Indian Defense Attaché told a Pakistani newspaper that he was not going to the LoC while the Indian Chargé D’affaires said that New Delhi had not granted him the permission for the visit. The DG ISPR Major General Asif Ghafoor in a statement said “What good Indian High Commission is which can’t stand with its Army Chief? Indian High Commission staff didn’t have the moral courage to accompany fellow diplomats in Pakistan to LoC.” Senior journalists representing international media were also accompanying the 50 or so diplomats, including ambassadors and high commissioners. The diplomats and journalists were free to visit any part of the area hit by the Indian Army and interview anyone to ascertain the presence or lack thereof any training camp.
This is not the first time that India remained failed to prove its fake claims. In the so-called Balakot strikes in February 2019 Indian propaganda was badly exposed when the foreign Journalists and diplomats visited the area. India had claimed of flattening a seminary and exterminating 300-400 militants of Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM), the banned outfit allegedly involved in Pulwama attack. Pakistan had immediately denied the claims, and said that intruding Indian planes, fearing being taken down by Pakistan Air Force (PAF), had fled after dropping bombs in empty space. The journalists and diplomats were shown craters created in the hilly forest area by the Indian bombs during the so-called air strike and made to see for themselves that there wasn’t even a chance of any loss of human life, let alone killing of hundreds of people.
After every irrational activity by India, Pakistan repeatedly urged India to face reality and stop misleading its people. Indian immature and irrational behavior is creating threats for regional peace and stability. The extremist Indian leadership is creating war hysteria with the strategy of deception and disinformation. And the irony is that, with this disinformation India is targeting its own people and making upcoming Indian generation against Pakistan.
Here one thing is crystal clear that these fake claims of India will not halt Pakistan’s efforts to support Kashmir cause. Pakistan is ready to defend itself against Indian aggression and will continue to provide all-out diplomat moral and political support to the brave people of Indian occupied Kashmir. The oppressed people of Kashmir valley are looking towards the international community. Pakistan’s civil and military leadership is the only hope for Kashmiris to take up with the United Nations Security Council, the question of Kashmiri’s right of self-determination and implementation of several UN Resolutions.
