ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office on Saturday said that India’s hostile actions and rhetoric were jeopardising peace in the region and asked the world to take notice of the worsening situation.
“India’s attempted diversions, misrepresentations and continued belligerence imperil peace and security in South Asia. It is important for the world community to take cognisance and urge India to act responsibly in the interest of regional peace and stability,” the FO said in a rejoinder to Indian Army Chief Gen M.M. Naravane’s latest comments.
Gen Naravane, while speaking at a webinar hosted by an Indian think tank on Friday, said Indian armed forces have to remain alive and cater for a two-war front scenario with Pakistan and China. He said the borders with these two countries were very active.
The Indian army chief had earlier on Wednesday in his media comments described the newly formed Kashmiri ‘Resistance Front’ as a terrorist outfit and accused Pakistan of supporting Kashmiri groups.
He claimed that violence could go up as Pakistan seeks to draw world attention to Kashmir, but said “we are well prepared to tackle any such incidents in the future”.
Gen Naravane had last month alleged that “Pakistan had resorted to firing heavy calibre artillery and killing innocent Kashmiris to garner international attention”. He had then also accused Pakistan of “exporting terrorism”.
FO Spokesperson Aisha Farooqui said: “We reject Indian Army Chief’s recent comments levelling allegations against Pakistan and hurling threats. These are part of India’s desperate attempts to divert the world’s attention from Indian state-terrorism and egregious violations of human rights in Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IOJ&K)”.
“The indigenous Kashmiri resistance being faced by India is the direct consequence of India’s unabated oppression and brutalisation of Kashmiris. India’s mischievous attempts to portray the legitimate Kashmiri struggle for self-determination as ‘terrorism’ would not succeed,” she further said.
Published in Dawn, May 17th, 2020
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