THE Pakistan Army has said that the Indian armed forces and its political masters must realize that Pakistan’s people and its defence forces are fully capable and committed to defending every inch of their territory with full resolve.
In a strongly-worded statement, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) warned Indian civil and military leadership that every act of aggression will be dealt with a swift, resolute and intense response that will be remembered by posterity.
The statement comes in the backdrop of unending threats being hurled by the Indian leadership, the frequency and tone of which is intensifying commensurate with internal political developments in India and serious damage to the standing and reputation of the country following massive defeat at the hands of Pakistan defence forces and continued embarrassment on the diplomatic front in the face of principle-based diplomacy by Pakistan. It was in this context that the ISPR noted with grave concern that five months after Maarka-e-Haq, in the run up to elections in Bihar and West Bengal, Indian military leadership has started parroting the same delusional, fabricated and provocative propaganda that they regurgitate before every state election in India. It rightly pointed out professional soldiers would know that unnecessary chest thumping and unwarranted statements might initiate a cycle of jingoism and lead to serious consequences for peace and stability in South Asia. The rhetoric of ‘revenge’ if given practical shape will bring more humiliation for India than it received in May as Pakistan effectively demonstrated the capability to defend itself not just in the short war with India but also in the latest clashes with Afghanistan. Their respective myths of conventional superiority and bravery were broken by the unparalleled standard of professionalism demonstrated by Pakistani forces. Therefore, the tendency of hurling threats of aggression will serve no purpose except further exposing India as the true face of cross-border terrorism and the epicentre of regional instability, bent upon adventurism and hegemonic attitude to the detriment of its people and its neighbours. It is also one of the reasons that India stands isolated diplomatically and none of its neighbours has friction-free relations with New Delhi.
