Pakistan is not Myanmar, will respond to foreign aggression, Nisar tells India

Published June 10, 2015
Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali in a press conference on Wednesday said that Pakistani security forces are fully capable of responding to foreign aggression. ─ AFP/File
Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali in a press conference on Wednesday said that Pakistani security forces are fully capable of responding to foreign aggression. ─ AFP/File

ISLAMABAD: Federal Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said India should not mistake Pakistan for Myanmar, adding“our armed forces are fully capable of responding to any foreign aggression and Indian leaders should stop daydreaming”.

The statement was issued by interior ministry on Wednesday, while reacting to recent statements by Indian politicians — including that of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Read: Chaudhry Nisar unbound

Nisar stressed that India's notorious designs might have succeeded in the past, but they will not do so in the future.

Modi's statement soured the atmosphere of Indo-Pak dialogue: Khawaja Asif

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, speaking to DawnNews outside Parliament House on Wednesday, said the Indian prime minister’s statement was picking on old wounds.

He said Modi's statement had soured the atmosphere of dialogue between the two countries.

Asif said the government would defend the nation and that if India spoke about teaching Pakistan a lesson, then Pakistan was capable of teaching India a lesson as well.

Also read: India will carry out military strikes at any 'place and time', says minister

He said if India tried to do so, Pakistan would provide a befitting reply. He added that Pakistan does not want to ruin regional peace.

India will not succeed in sowing seeds of hatred for Pakistan: Sartaj Aziz

Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz while briefing Senate on Wednesday said that Pakistan will do what it can to expose India's role in the separation of East Pakistan in 1971, and in destabilising Pakistan through terrorism.

Aziz said the government had taken notice of Modi's acknowledgement of India's role in East Pakistan in 1971.

Take a look: Modi blames Pakistan for spreading terrorism in India

He said it was regrettable Modi chose Bangladesh to issue a statement used to fan hatred against Pakistan in Bangladesh and that attempts at sowing the seeds of hatred for Pakistanis in Bangladesh would not succeed as the people of Pakistan and Bangladesh shared a common bond of religion and had endured a joint struggle for independence against colonial rule.

He urged the United Nations and the international community to take note of India's admission of participating in activities that destabilised Pakistan.

Aziz said it was ironic that Modi chose to present a case for a permanent seat in the UN Security Council in Bangladesh, adding that India would not qualify for the seat because of recent admissions of interference in East Pakistan and for violation of UN resolutions regarding the issue of Jammu and Kashmir.

He also expressed regret over the Indian defence minister's statement to combat terrorism with terrorism.

Myanmar denies India killed rebels inside its territory

However, Myanmar denied media reports that Indian forces had attacked insurgents inside its territory and said it would not tolerate rebel groups using its soil to attack neighbours.

Earlier this week New Delhi said its forces had hunted down a rebel group operating in the mountainous forests of Manipur state, close to Myanmar's long western border.

The fighters were allegedly involved in the killing of 20 Indian soldiers in an ambush last week.

The Indian press cited sources as saying soldiers had crossed into Myanmar and killed some 15 militants who escaped across the border, after coordination between the two countries.

But New Delhi insisted the operation took place on its side of the border only.

In a Facebook post Wednesday Zaw Htay, director of Myanmar's presidential office, backed up that assertion.

According to the information sent by Tatmadaw (Myanmar army) battalions on the ground, we have learned that the military operation was performed on the Indian side at India-Myanmar border,” he said.

“Myanmar will not accept any foreigner who attacks neighbouring countries in the back and creates problems by using our own territory,” he added.

Senate body suggests taking Modi to ICJ for war crimes

The Senate standing Committee on Interior has suggested the government to consult with the United Nations to register a case of war crimes in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) against Modi following his recent statement in Bangladesh.

This was said by former interior minister and chairman of the Senate standing committee, Rehman Malik in the meeting of the committee which condemned the recent statement by Indian prime minister.

Malik said that the statement of Modi is enough to understand that India played ‘important role’ to break Pakistan into two parts while the India government is involved in backing terrorist’s activities of BLA and Taliban in FATA and Balochistan.

Modi’s tirade against Pakistan is the latest in an increasingly spiteful exchange of accusations between the two countries.

Pakistan Army had last month accused Indian intelligence agency of “whipping up terrorism” in the country. The allegation was followed by Indian Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar’s “terrorists have to be neutralised only through terrorists” remarks.

Foreign Office spokesman Qazi Khalilullah on Tuesday described Modi’s “characterisation of bilateral ties” as “unfortunate”.

Pakistan, he said, “believes in peaceful co-existence and maintaining good neighbourly relations with India”.

Pakistan-Bangladesh ties that have already been soured because of the execution of opposition leaders, whom Dhaka had accused of “war crimes” during the 1971 separation from Pakistan are likely to further deteriorate because of Modi’s remarks that could re-open the old wounds.

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