ECHOING sentiments of people of Pakistan, national leadership on Thursday beamed a strong message to India that its bullying tactics will be responded in kind and Islamabad will go to any length to safeguard its legitimate national interests in the wake of threatening posture adopted by New Delhi after the Pahalgam incident in occupied Jammu & Kashmir.
In view of the gravity of the situation, the Government lost no time in convening a meeting of the National Security Committee (NSC), which came out with a cogent and a comprehensive response in retaliation to a series of measures announced a day earlier by India.
No doubt, the steps approved by the NSC will raise the ante but, as has been the practice throughout in the checkered history of Pakistan-India relations, Pakistan did not initiate but only reacted to Indian provocations.
However, the nature of the prompt response given by Islamabad carries an unequivocal message that Pakistan is ready to defend its interests at all costs.
Reports by Indian and international media clearly suggest that New Delhi was bent upon doing mischief and with this in view it is incumbent upon Pakistan to remain fully prepared to foil any misadventure.
The way India reacted to the Pahalgam attack should leave no doubt about Indian designs against Pakistan as apart from a number of punitive measures, Indian leaders are issuing warnings and threats to Pakistan as well as Kashmiri people.
India is using the Pahalgam incident as an excuse to harm Pakistan in different ways including denial of its share of water, which is guaranteed by an international treaty.
Reminding India that there was no provision for unilateral suspension of the Indus Basin Treaty, Pakistan has minced no words in conveying to India that any attempt to stop or divert the flow of water belonging to Pakistan as per the Indus Waters Treaty, and the usurpation of the rights of lower riparian will be considered as an act of war and responded with full force across the complete spectrum of national power.
The NSC also pointed out that water is a vital national interest of Pakistan, a lifeline for its 240 million people and its availability will be safeguarded at all costs.
The message is unambiguous and it is hoped that India will understand it properly and refrain from any unilateral measure that could push the two countries in a war that might not produce any winner.
There is also another clear message for India, which is reflective of the resolve of the Pakistani leadership to exercise all available options to counter threats from India.
Noting the reckless and irresponsible behaviour of India, which disregards international conventions, UN Security Council Resolutions and international obligations at will, Pakistan shall exercise the right to hold all bilateral agreements with India including but not limited to Simla Agreement in abeyance, till India desists from its manifested behaviour of fomenting terrorism inside Pakistan; trans-national killings; and non-adherence to international law and UN Resolutions on Kashmir.
This is not rhetoric as Indian involvement in acts of terrorism and sabotage in Pakistan, especially in Balochistan, are fully documented in the dossiers that Islamabad has already provided to the United Nations as well as important capitals.
Leaders of militant outfits BLA and TTP are in India receiving complete support for their anti-state activities in Balochistan and KP.
An Indian officer, who was part of the network to plan and sponsor terrorism in the country, is also in the custody of Pakistan and both Canada and the United States are on record having registered strong protests over involvement of Indian spy agencies in trans-national killings.
Other measures announced by Pakistan are in response to similar measures announced by India against Pakistan but will feel their heat more.
Suspension of all trade with India including to and from any third country through Pakistan, closure of Wagah border post, suspension of border transit, deadlines for Indian nationals to leave, cancellation of all visas under the framework of SAARC with immediate effect, declaration of the Indian Defence, Naval and Air Advisors in Islamabad persona non grata, reduction in staff of Indian High Commission and closure of Pakistan’s air-space for all Indian owned or Indian operated airlines will make policy-makers in New Delhi to think many times before opting for provocative measures.
The Modi Government has taken a number of unilateral measures to change legal and demographic status of the occupied Jammu & Kashmir in stark violation of the UN resolutions but these steps miserably failed to suppress the voice of Kashmiri people for their right of self-determination.
In this backdrop, analysts argue, Pahalgam attack seems to be a false flag operation to malign the legitimate freedom struggle of Kashmiris and browbeat Pakistan for its understandable support for the just cause of Kashmiri people.
In this backdrop, the NSC made a firm declaration that Kashmir remains an unresolved dispute between Pakistan and India as recognized through multiple UN resolutions and that Pakistan will continue its moral, diplomatic and political support for legitimate rights of Kashmiris.
It also noted that continued Indian state oppression, abrogation of statehood, political and demographic gerrymandering, has persistently led to an organic backlash from the people of occupied Jammu & Kashmir, which perpetuates cycles of violence.
The NSC also pointed out that Indian attempts to inject volatility in the environment along Pakistan’s eastern borders are aimed at distracting Pakistan’s counter-terrorism efforts.
In the absence of any credible investigation and verifiable evidence, attempts to link the Pahalgam attack with Pakistan are frivolous, devoid of rationality and defeat logic.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar also punctured Indian narrative on Pahalgam attack by challenging New Delhi to present evidence, if it had any, of Pakistan’s alleged involvement in the attack.
The Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif also revealed that Pakistan was in possession of evidence that some foreigners arrived in Srinagar with weapons and these were sheltered by Indian spy agencies.
This deepens the impression that the Pahalgam attack was a false flag operation and this could be used as a justification to launch so-called pre-emptive strikes against Pakistan.
Our defence forces retaliated in a robust manner in 2019 when India carried out such strikes in Balakot and they have the capacity to thwart any future aggression as has been pronounced by the NSC.
In view of the possibility of any Indian misadventure, there is dire need to promote internal unity to foil designs of the enemy and its local tools.
