PAKISTAN on Thursday cautioned India against any “misadventure” in Gilgit-Baltistan or Azad Jammu Kashmir, saying any such move will invite “a full spectrum” response from the country. The statement came from Foreign Office spokesperson Zahid Hafiz Chaudhri at a weekly news briefing while responding to a question about the threats emanating from New Delhi. The spokesperson said that the Indian leadership must not underestimate the resolve of the Pakistani nation as well as the capacity, professionalism and the level of preparedness of our battle-hardened defence forces.
Pakistan has consistently been pleading for the cause of peace and security in South Asia, as problems and challenges facing the region cannot be addressed without calm and tranquillity. Since long, Pakistan has not only been emphasizing the need for peaceful and just resolution of the core issue of Jammu and Kashmir that poses serious threats to peace, security and stability of South Asia but also repeatedly put forward a series of proposals to keep the region free of nuclear weapons and curb the tendency of arms race, which none of the countries of the region can afford in view of backwardness and abysmal poverty. However, India never responded to goodwill gestures from Pakistan in the same kind and instead indulged in rhetoric that raised the ante to the harm of the peoples of the two countries. It has forcibly and illegally annexed Jammu and Kashmir, is engaged in draconian actions against peaceful protestors there and its military and civilian leadership hurls threats on Pakistan time and again. Its intent and designs can be judged by hundreds of violations of ceasefire and targeting of the civilian population on this side of the Line of Control (LoC). As India is facing grave internal challenges especially due to discriminatory and repressive policies against minorities, it is trying to divert attention by raising tension with Pakistan. Going by track record of New Delhi, the threat of any misadventure against Pakistan is serious and that is why Islamabad has been trying to sensitize the international community about danger to regional peace. The warning from Foreign Office spokesperson came a day after Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa visited the forward areas in the Chamb sector along the LoC where he was briefed on the latest operational situation including Indian ceasefire violations “deliberately targeting local residents” living nearby. Earlier, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ambassador Munir Akram told the United Nations that India’s aggressive policies and military posture posed an “immediate and pervasive threat” to international peace and security. All this shows the threat is genuine but it is appreciable that the Foreign Office is active on the diplomatic front to expose India and the defence forces are ready to foil designs of the enemy. However, one may point out that the internal situation is not as good as it should be in view of the rising political tension, which needs to be brought down as national cohesion is a must for facing external challenges.
