Pakistan has once again expressed its commitment to the principle of peaceful co-existence but conveyed a plain message to India that in case of aggression it will respond in a befitting and decisive manner at the time and place of our choosing.
Addressing a joint press conference, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Director-General, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Lt.
General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhary said Pakistan is monitoring the situation very carefully in all terrains and, accordingly, our responses and countermeasures in all domains are ready and as already declared by the National Security Council (NSC), there will be decisive and assured actions.
India must realize that any misadventure will not go unnoticed and Pakistan has options and capabilities to make the enemy repent.
India, immediately after the Pahalgam attack, announced a series of punitive measures against Pakistan with the objective of pressurizing, brow-beating and inflicting economic losses on the country but Pakistan too came up with a measured response with significant consequences for India.
A decision has already been taken to safeguard and protect the motherland at all costs and it will be implemented the moment India presents a threat to the security and survival of the country.
Dar echoed this resolve by firmly stating that Pakistan will exercise restraint for the purpose of regional peace, but and that is very clear if provoked, any action from the other side will be responded to in a befitting manner and in a stronger way.
He pointed out that the world leaders have been requesting the exercise of restraint in recent days and that Pakistan would not be the first to take an escalatory step.
Pakistan has demonstrated its commitment to peace ever since India embarked on the path of escalation on the pretext of the Pahalgam incident.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif reiterated this commitment during telephonic conversation with the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday, when the latter urged both Pakistan and India to exercise restraint and resolve their problems peacefully.
He also urged the United States to play a role in encouraging India to de-escalate and refrain from inflammatory rhetoric, pointing out that Indian actions risked undermining Pakistan’s counter-terrorism efforts, particularly against groups like ISKP, TTP and the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), which he claimed were operating from Afghan territory.
There are reasons to believe that India is using the Pahalgam incident to distract from Pakistan’s progress in fighting terrorism and stabilizing its economy and this is confirmed by the Indian decision to suspend operation of the Indus Basin Treaty.
Timing of the false flag operation in Pahalgam and other measures by India also suggest that the country deliberately raises tensions to deflect attention from its internal issues, particularly the unresolved Kashmir dispute which remains the root cause of instability in South Asia.
As highlighted by the Foreign Minister, India’s allegations against Pakistan regarding the Pahalgam attack were part of a long-standing pattern of fabricating terrorism accusations for political gain, aimed at suppressing Kashmiris’ right to self-determination and justifying draconian laws.
India’s real motives also stand exposed as it has not so far responded to repeated calls by the leadership of Pakistan for a transparent investigation into the incident by independent international observers.
India is not listening to the logic and reasoning and instead is continuously engaged in moves to build a case for aggression against Pakistan.
With this in view and based on reliable information, Pakistan has heightened monitoring of its airspace and precautionary measures have been taken to ensure safety of commercial flights to and from Gilgit-Baltistan.
The nation stands united and the categorical statement of the army spokesperson that defence institutions were ready to defend the country means the enemy will get a befitting response.
