Every act of aggression receives a swift, resolute and intense response that will be remembered by posterity.
Pakistan Rangers (right) and Indian Border Security Force personnel take part in the daily flag lowering ceremony at their joint border post at Wagah, near Lahore PHOTO: Reuters
Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) has issued a statement addressing recent rhetoric spread by Indian leaders that imitates “Bollywood-style scripts”. The armed forces said such “chauvinism” and “unnecessary chest-thumping” could endanger peace and stability in South Asia.
Indian military and political leaders direct terrorism allegations against Pakistan, which Islamabad has repeatedly refuted. “The lies fed to the Indian public and the international public have turned the Indian military machine into a laughing stock.”
According to the Indian newspaper Hindu, Lieutenant General Ghai claimed that more than 100 Pakistani soldiers were killed in May clashes along the Line of Control. The Indian officer also reiterated India’s claim that it had inflicted significant damage on Pakistani air bases and destroyed its air assets on the ground.
Read: Prime Minister declares “Youm-e-Marka-e-Haq” on May 10 to mark the victory of the operation
“It is saddening to see the military leadership of a nuclear-armed country issuing irresponsible statements under immense political pressure,” the ISPR said in response. “The world now recognizes India as the true face of cross-border terrorism and the epicenter of regional instability, prone to adventurism and hegemonism to the detriment of its people and neighbors.”
The ISPR suggested that there is a pattern of this type of rhetoric, which surfaces every time an election comes closer on the calendar. “It has been noted with grave concern that five months after Marka-e-Haq, in the run-up to elections in Bihar and West Bengal, India’s military rulers have started repeating the same delusional, fabricated and provocative propaganda that they regurgitate before every state election in India.”
“The Indian armed forces and their political masters must understand that the people of Pakistan and their armed forces are fully capable and determined to defend every inch of our territory with complete determination. Every act of aggression will be met with a swift, resolute and intense response that posterity will remember.”
Learn more: Pakistan and India agree to immediate ceasefire
The May conflict began after an attack on a Hindu tourist in India’s illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, which New Delhi, without providing any relevant evidence, blamed on Islamabad. Islamabad strongly rejected the accusation and called for an independent investigation.
Following India’s deadly airstrikes in Punjab and Azad Jammu and Kashmir on May 7, Pakistan claimed to have shot down five Indian aircraft in dogfights, later raising the figure to seven. After both countries carried out retaliatory strikes on their respective airbases, US mediation on May 10 resulted in a ceasefire.
Islamabad denied losing any aircraft and said it had struck 26 Indian targets in response to attacks on its three air bases.
