Pak terms Indian Statement as threat to regional peace
Islamabad: Pakistan says irresponsible statements on the part of Indian leadership pose threat to regional peace.
This was stated by Additional Secretary Foreign Affairs Tasnim Aslam while addressing a seminar in Islamabad on Tuesday.
She said India is developing atomic submarines and also resorting to unprovoked firing on the line of control and the working boundary. In these circumstances, she said Pakistan has no option but to keep itself ready for defense. She said Pakistan is maintaining minimum deterrence.
She said Pakistan is ready to work for regional peace and stability. We are prepared to hold negotiations with India for resolution of outstanding disputes.
Tasnim Aslam said Pakistan’s participation in the Heart of Asia Conference was manifestation of its seriousness towards Afghan peace and stability.
She said our decision also foiled the Indian attempt to hijack the Heart of Asia process.
She alleged that although India accuses Pakistan of terrorism by means of non-state elements, the Indian government has been found involved in terror activities.
The additional secretary claimed Pakistan has evidence that India’s Research and Analysis Wing is responsible for carrying out terror activities in Pakistan.
Speaking about the Heart of Asia conference held in Amritsar earlier this month, Aslam claimed India had placed diplomatic hurdles in the way of Sartaj Aziz, special adviser to the prime minister on foreign affairs.
“But despiteIndia’s attempt to sabotage Pakistan in the conference, we were able to reassure Afghanistan about building peace in the region,” she said.
“It was because of Pakistan’s presence that India was unable to hijack the conference,” Aslam claimed.
Aslam’s statements come just a day after Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh said Pakistan would “soon be in 10 pieces” if cross-border terrorism did not come to an end.
Tensions between Pakistan and India have been running high following an alleged ‘surgical strike’, unrest in Kashmir and the Uri army base attack in September.
Since then there have been repeated outbreaks of cross-border firing in Kashmir, with both sides reporting deaths and injuries including of civilians.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi stepped up a drive to isolate Pakistan diplomatically after the Uri army base attack in Sept in which 19 Indian soldiers were killed. Hours after the attack occurred, Rajnath Singh termed Pakistan a ‘terrorist state’ and accused Pakistan of involvement.
The Uri attack occurred days before Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was set to address the United Nations General Assembly regarding Indian human rights violations in held Kashmir.
Following the attack, India claimed it had conducted a cross-border ‘surgical strike’ against ‘launch pads of terror’ in Azad Jammu and Kashmir — a claim Pakistan has strongly rejected.
Pakistan maintains that India is attempting to divert the world’s attention away from atrocities committed by government forces in India-held Kashmir.
Pakistan and India have, most recently, locked horns over Kashmir since Indian forces stepped up a crackdown against protesters after Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani was killed by government forces in July.
