New Delhi: Pakistan military spokesperson Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry reiterated his country’s resolve to respond to India’s alleged aggression “at a time, place and means” of its choosing.
The Director-General of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) also claimed that Indian security forces were escalating tensions to deflect from “domestic challenges”.
“Prepared for any eventuality, whatever the Indian Army decides to do. They want to continue it, fine. But what they have started, I’ll tell you, we will finish it,” Lt. Gen. Chaudhry said Friday at a press briefing in Rawalpindi.
Flanked by Air Vice Marshal Aurangzeb Ahmed of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) and Rear Admiral Raja Rab Nawaz of the Pakistan Navy, he claimed that India was responsible for supporting terrorism inside Pakistan “on a daily basis.”
Lt. Gen. Chaudhry presented purported confessions of individuals he claimed were captured militants, alleging they had received support and directives from Indian handlers. He then showed visuals of Baloch journalist Bahot Baloch and alleged that Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) militants shared visuals of the Jaffer Express attack in March, with India.
Indian-backed militant groups were instructed to escalate attacks against Pakistan along the western border, including those by the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan and separatist groups operating in Balochistan, according to the military spokesperson.
“India’s attempts to promote volatility at the eastern border are aimed at distracting Pakistan’s counterterrorism efforts,” he claimed.
Lt. Gen. Chaudhry further alleged that India was not only involved in destabilising Pakistan but had also engaged in “transnational terrorism,” indicating at high-profile diplomatic rows with Canada in the past year.
The PAF presented audio recordings which it claimed were intercepts from Indian Rafale fighter jets engaged in “airspace violations” on the night of 6–7 May.
He also claimed that the person who has been claimed to be Masood Azhar’s brother, Rauf Azhar, is a local politician of Pakistan Markazi Muslim League with the same name.
Lt. Gen. Chaudhry said that there had been no direct communication between the national security advisers of both nations, and referred further questions about indirect diplomatic engagement to Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The ISPR Director-General added despite the recent escalation with India, there have been no combat-related fatalities in Pakistan. “There are injuries, but no martyrdoms on our side,” he said.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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