Rejecting the new Indian army chief's irresponsible statement regarding "preemptive strikes" across the LoC inside Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJ&K), Pakistan on Wednesday warned India against any misadventure.
"We deplore the continuing proclivity of Indian political as well as military leaders to fabricate facts with regard to terrorism or situation along the Line of Control (LoC) as part of their attempts to mislead the world and with the possible intention of staging some false flag operation," Foreign Office Spokesperson Aisha Farooqui said, adding that they would be well-advised to look inwards and curb the growing "saffron terror" which is increasingly a matter of concern for the international community.
In the context of situation in IOJ&K, she said that Pakistan rejects the new Indian army chief's irresponsible statement regarding "preemptive strikes" across the LoC inside Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJ&K). "There should be no doubt about Pakistan's resolve and readiness to thwart against any aggressive Indian move, inside its territory or AJ&K. No one should forget Pakistan's befitting response to India's Balakot misadventure," she warned.
Despite India's provocations, Pakistan will continue contributing to all efforts of promoting peace, security and stability in the region and beyond, she added.
Referring to the situation in the Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, she urged the world community to take urgent and effective steps to address India's state-terrorism against the Kashmiri people.
"Pakistan reaffirms its unflinching support and solidarity with the Kashmiri people as the inhuman lockdown in Indian-occupied Jammu & Kashmir (IOJ&K) reaches 150 days," Aisha Farooqui said.
As part of Pakistan's unstinted moral, political and diplomatic support for the Kashmir cause, she stated that the country will continue to raise at all international forums the plight of over 8 million innocent Kashmiris under the brutal occupation of 900,000 Indian security personnel, persecuting them day and night with impunity.
"India's farcical claims of normalcy returning to the situation in IOJ&K carry no credibility whatsoever. We will continue to stress the importance of urgent and effective steps by the world community to address India's state-terrorism against the Kashmiri people, who are demanding their legitimate right of self-determination as enshrined in the United National Security Council Resolutions," she added.
Among other things, she added that India must immediately lift the continuing lockdown and communications restrictions imposed in IoJ&K since August 5, free all detainees particularly young children, release the senior Kashmiri leadership, remove all draconian laws including PSA and AFSPA, withdraw its 900,000 security personnel from the occupied territory, and allow unhindered access to international humanitarian and human rights observers and the international media to the occupied territory.
Earlier on Tuesday, India's new Chief of Army Staff General MM Naravane, hours after taking charge, issued a provocative statement, saying: "We reserve the right to preemptively strike at sources of terror." "India has multiple options across (the) spectrum of conflict... to respond to any act of terror sponsored or abetted by Pakistan," General Naravane was quoted by the official Indian media as having said.