FO says Pakistan fully capable of defending itself

ISLAMABAD, JULY 27(DNA) — While condemning the provocative remarks by India’s defence minister, made on 26 July 2023, in Drass, Ladakh, boasting readiness to cross the Line of Control in Kashmir, Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zehra Baloch says Pakistan is fully capable of defending itself against any aggression as demonstrated in its forceful response to India’s misadventure in February 2019.  

In a statement issued in Islamabad, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said: “We counsel India to exercise utmost caution as its belligerent rhetoric is a threat to the regional peace and stability, and contributes to destabilizing the strategic environment in South Asia.”

The statement further said, “This is not the first time that India’s political leaders and senior military officers have made highly irresponsible remarks about Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan. This kind of jingoistic statements must stop. The Indian leadership is reminded that Pakistan is fully capable of defending itself against any aggression.”

The Foreign Ministry further said, “The practice of dragging Pakistan into India’s populist public discourse, with a view to stoking hyper-nationalism and reaping electoral gains, needs to end.”

“Everything from history to law and from morality to the situation on the ground belies India’s claims about Jammu and Kashmir, which is an internationally-recognized disputed territory. The relevant UN Security Council resolutions stipulate that the final disposition of the territory will be made in accordance with the will of the people expressed through the democratic method of a free and impartial plebiscite conducted under the auspices of the United Nations. India would be well-advised to faithfully implement these resolutions, rather than entertaining any notions of grandeur,” the statement concluded.