ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: The Federal Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif on Monday said that India was afraid of Pakistan’s success in fight against terrorism, adding that Pakistan’s success had been recognized by the international community.
“Our armed forces have successfully rooted out terrorists and their all safe sanctuaries in north Waziristan which is a great achievement,” the minister said while winding up debate on a motion moved by Sehar Kamran in the Senate regarding situation arising out of continuing Indian violations of Line of Control (LoC) and ceasefire on Working Boundary
The minister reiterated that Pakistan armed forces would respond with full force if India tries to carry out any surgical strikes inside Pakistan.
“If India dares to carry out surgical strike inside Pakistan; it will forget to conduct even fake and false strike,” he said.
Khawaja Asif said India had also claimed to carry out surgical strikes in recent past but this claim was baseless and false.
The defence minister said India carried out 330 ceasefire violations including 290 and 40 violations along LoC and WB respectively till December. He said 45 civilians were martyred and 138 injured in these violations. He said the frequency of the violations had been reduced after December.
However, he said the violations were effectively responded by our armed forces. These violations were also reported to United Nations Military Observer Group (UNMOG) and appraised the UN for investigations. He said the ministry of foreign affairs also raised the issue at the diplomatic and bilateral levels.
Moreover, the minister said Kashmir’s indigenous freedom struggle, India’s internal political compulsion and avoiding composite dialogue were three major reasons behind Indian unprovoked firing along LoC and Working Boundary.
Asif said India was making failed attempts to link Kashmir’s indigenous freedom movement with cross-border infiltration and terrorism. He said India’s this campaign had already been failed at the diplomatic fronts.
The minister said India had leveled such baseless allegation against Pakistan in 1988. However, he added Pakistan would continue political, diplomatic and moral support to Kashmiris in their just struggle for right to self-determination.
