New Delhi: Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Wednesday summoned Indian Chargé d’Affaires Geetika Srivastava to formally protest what it described as “unprovoked Indian strikes” on multiple locations across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
According to an official statement issued by the Foreign Office, the Indian envoy was handed a demarche expressing Pakistan’s strong condemnation of the strikes, which Islamabad claims resulted in the deaths and injuries of several civilians, including women and children. India has said it had no reports of any civilian casualties.
Pakistan’s Foreign Office added, “It was conveyed that India’s blatant act of aggression constitutes a clear violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty. Such actions are in contravention of the UN Charter, international law, and established norms governing interstate relations. Pakistan firmly rejected India’s baseless justifications for its hostile conduct.”
Pakistan Foreign Office’s statement further rejected what it termed “baseless justifications” offered by India for the military action, calling them unfounded and provocative. It warned the Indian side that such “reckless behaviour” not only escalates tensions, but also poses a grave threat to regional peace and stability.
In the early hours of Wednesday, India launched ‘Operation Sindoor’, striking terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir from where, the government said, “terrorist attacks against India have been planned and directed”. This comes after the Pahalgam attack on 22 April in which 25 Indians and one citizen of Nepal were killed.
Islamabad has alleged that India’s strikes targeted civilian areas, including mosques and residential buildings, and has vowed to respond with “full force” while bringing the issue to the attention of the international community.
On the instructions of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Asim Iftikhar, has formally briefed the UN Security Council about what Islamabad describes as India’s “blatant aggression” and the serious threat it poses to international peace and security, according to state broadcaster Radio Pakistan.
In the communication to the UN, Pakistan said that it reserves the right to respond to the Indian strikes at a time and place of its choosing, invoking its right to self-defence as outlined under Article 51 of the UN Charter.
(Edited by Sanya Mathur)