RECORDER REPORT

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan took strong exception to the Indian air chief’s “irresponsible” and “provocative” statement regarding India being ready for a “two-front war” with China and Pakistan, describing it a true reflection of the RSS-BJP mindset.

Speaking at his weekly media briefing on Friday, the Foreign Office spokesperson, Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri, condemned the Indian air chief’s “irresponsible” and “provocative” statement.

He said that it was ironic that certain senior Indian political and military leaders continue to make a career out of issuing provocative statements against Pakistan at the cost of putting regional peace and security as well as India’s own security at risk.

“Such provocative statements are a true reflection of RSS-BJP mindset, a dangerous mix of extremist ideology and hegemonic designs,” he said.

While making such braggadocio, the spokesperson added that “the Indian air force chief must not forget India’s defense limitations, so embarrassingly exposed to the world, first during its misadventure in Balakot and more recently in Ladakh”.

“India must not underestimate the resolve of Pakistani nation and the preparedness of our armed forces against any ill-conceived misadventure by India,” he said.

In the interest of peace and prosperity in South Asia, he added that India must abandon its 3rd century “Chanakya Doctrine” and adopt the 21st century model of regional peace and development.

About Pakistan and China cooperation, he said that both the countries were “All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partners” and remained committed to promoting peace, stability, and development in the region.

Responding to a question about India’s response with regard to Kulbhudhan Jadhav’s review and reconsideration case in the Islamabad High Court (IHC), he referred to the recent statement by his Indian counterpart, saying that India was fast depleting its already eroded credibility by making insane demands and illogical remarks in the case.

“It is utterly surprising that India continues to repeat the questions that have already been answered…Pakistan has already provided two unimpeded and uninterrupted consular accesses to India and has offered a third one,” he said.

He said that it had also been clarified to India that only those lawyers could appear before the courts in Pakistan who had the license to practice law in this country.

“This is in line with legal practice in different jurisdictions including India,” he asserted.

As for the demand for provision of relevant papers, he said that it had been conveyed to the Indian side that a duly-appointed lawyer could collect the relevant papers from the office of the Attorney General for Pakistan.

“It appears that India is actually afraid of the difficult questions it will need to answer during the review and reconsideration process…Rather than trying to abuse the legal process, India would be well advised to act as a responsible state and cooperate with the Pakistan court to give effect to the ICJ judgment,” he added.

On the situations in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), he said that the Kashmiris were continuously subjected to a brutal military siege and inhuman restrictions for an unprecedented 431 days, since India’s illegal and unilateral actions of 5th August 2019.

In September alone, he said that the Indian occupation forces martyred 19 more Kashmiris, including a woman, in “fake encounters” and so-called “cordon-and-search” operations.

The occupation forces also injured at least 16 peaceful protestors, arbitrarily detained 88 Kashmiri youth, and destroyed 14 houses to inflict collective punishment on the Kashmiri communities, he added.

In their latest act of state terrorism, he added that the Indian occupation forces martyred two more Kashmiri youth in staged cordon and search operations in Shopian on 7th October 2020.

“The cold-blooded murders of innocent Kashmiris are a clear manifestation of the state terrorism to which unarmed Kashmiris have been subjected to for the past seven decades,” he added.

He pointed out that the recent acknowledgment of war crimes in the IIOJK by the Indian Army was a sad reminder of Pakistan’s consistent sensitisation to the world community about India’s serious crimes against the Kashmiri people.

“As the Indian occupation army is trying to evade responsibility for serious war crimes through “bogus disciplinary action”, Pakistan once again calls for a transparent judicial inquiry, under strict international scrutiny,” he said.

He added that since all of India’s state institutions had lost credibility due to the deep permeation of extremist “Hindutva” ideology, any investigation into the Indian crimes in the IIOJK, to be acceptable to the Kashmiris and to the international community, must be held under strict international scrutiny.

He said that India's state terrorism was getting more and more exposed with every passing day and its façade of being the largest democracy stood fully exposed, adding that India was known as a sponsor of state terrorism.

The spokesperson also reiterated Pakistan’s condemnations to the recent drone attack launched towards the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia by the Houthi militia. “Pakistan appreciates the successful interception of the drone, which prevented the loss of innocent lives. We call for immediate cessation of such attacks. Pakistan reiterates its full support and solidarity with Saudi Arabia against any threats to its security and territorial integrity,” he added.