ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Army took strong exception to the statement made by the Indian Army chief, saying that insinuating that Pakistan is the ‘epicentre of terrorism’ is not only contrary to facts, but also an exercise in futility, constantly beating the dead horse of India’s default position—blaming Pakistan for indigenous reaction to state-sponsored brutality.
“It is a classic case of extreme duplicity [by the Indian Army].”
Pakistan Army’s media and public relations wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) termed the remarks by the Indian Army chief an attempt to deflect the world’s attention from India’s brutality in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IOJK), repression of minorities internally, and India’s trans-national repression.
The ISPR statement, issued on Wednesday, stated that the General Officer, in his earlier stint in llOJK, personally oversaw the most brutal repression of Kashmiris.
“Such politically motivated and fallacious statements reflect the extreme politicisation of the Indian Army.”
The ISPR said the world is witness to India’s hate speech conclaves that provoke genocide against Muslims. The international community is not oblivious to India’s trans-national assassinations, and Indian Security Forces’ oppressive use of force against innocent civilians and gross human rights violations towards unarmed Kashmiris.
“Such oppression has only served to strengthen the resolve of Kashmiris for their right to self-determination, enshrined in the UN Security Council resolutions.”
It further said that instead of trying to conjure up a non-existent terror infrastructure in Pakistan, it would be wise not to indulge in self-delusion, and appreciate the ground reality. It stated, “The sobering fact that a senior serving Indian military officer is in Pakistan’s custody caught red-handed while orchestrating acts of terror against innocent civilians inside Pakistan, seems to have been conveniently ignored by the General.”
Empathising with the victims of the Indian Army’s brutality, it is hoped that civility, professionalism, and norms of state-to-state behaviour would guide the conduct of the Indian Army’s leadership, rather than pandering to political exigencies, the statement concluded.
