Pakistan on Friday sought to turn the tables on India, even as its army continues to indulge in ceasefire violations across Line of Control and encouraging cross-border terror incidents, by accusing New Delhi of risky behaviour and toying with dangerous military concepts, threatening peace in the region. Despite this, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said, it would continue to act with restraint and responsibility, Dawn reported.
“The flawed notion of establishment of a ‘new normal’ and fantasies of ‘punishing Pakistan’ while remaining below the threshold of a nuclear conflict demonstrate irresponsible and dangerous behaviour by India,” Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said at a webinar, while referring to the Feb 2019 post-Pulwama stand-off.
According to the report, the webinar was organised by the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI) to commemorate the nuclear tests conducted by Pakistan on this day in 1998.
Qureshi said India’s “annexation” of Kashmir in last August has added to volatility in the region. “The irresponsible statements made by senior members of the BJP government, including on nuclear issues and threats of dismemberment, leave little doubt about the reckless mind-set at work,” the report quoted him as saying.
Qureshi said Pakistan cannot lower its guard in the face of “hegemonic ambitions of a larger neighbor under the rule of an ultra-nationalist and revisionist regime”. “Pakistan has demonstrated its commitment to peace and stability by putting forward the proposal for a Strategic Restraint Regime (SRR). Yet our desire for peace should not leave anyone in doubt regarding our capability and will to defend ourselves effectively against any form of aggression,” he maintained.
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