Imran asks armed forces, citizens to be ready for all eventualities
Pakistan on Tuesday strongly rejected India’s claim oftargeting a militant camp in the country and causing heavy casualties, even asit vowed to respond “at the time and place of its choosing” and raise the issueat the United Nations and other international forums.
At a hurriedly-called special meeting of the NationalSecurity Committee—the country’s top security body—hours after India’s airstrikes in Balakot inside Pakistan, Prime Minister Imran Khan asked the armedforces and the people of his country to “remain prepared for alleventualities”.
“The forum (NSC) strongly rejected Indian claim of targetingan alleged terrorist camp near Balakot and the claim of heavy casualties. Onceagain Indian government has resorted to a self-serving, reckless and fictitiousclaim,” said a statement issued after the NSC meeting in Islamabad.
The country’s top civil and military brass “concluded thatIndia has committed uncalled for aggression to which Pakistan shall respond atthe time and place of its choosing,” it added.
It also invited the world media to see the facts on groundand proposed a visit to the site.
Citing sources, the Geo TV reported that Pakistan will raisethe issue of India’s “violation” of the Line of Control (LoC) at the UnitedNations and other international forums. The decision was taken at the NSCmeeting chaired by Prime Minister Khan and attended by the top civil andmilitary leadership, including army chief general Qamar Jawed Bajwa.
“It was decided that the matter of Indian LoC violation be immediatelyraised at the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the United Nations andwith friendly countries,” sources said.
The NSC statement claimed that India’s “action has been donefor domestic consumption being in election environment, putting regional peaceand stability at grave risk”.
To take the nation on board, the government has decided torequisition a joint session of the Parliament on Wednesday at 11 am.
Prime Minister Khan also summoned a special meeting of theNational Command Authority (NCA) on Wednesday.
Khan will also engage with global leadership to “exposeirresponsible” Indian policy in the region, the statement added.
Later, addressing a joint press conference with theministers of defence and finance, foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshiasserted that Pakistan will “respond to the Indian aggression”.
He announced that a three-member committee, including him,finance minister and defence minister, has been formed to approach theparliament to take the people and other parties into confidence on the evolvingsituation.
Responding to questions, Qureshi claimed that”multi-dimensional intrusion” was attempted by the Indian fighter jets earlyTuesday. “But the intervention by Pakistani jets forced them to return backwithin minutes”.
He dismissed the notion that Pakistan Air Force (PAF) jetswere late in responding to the Indian attack, saying PAF jets were “ready andair-borne”.
Flanked by defence minister Pervaiz Khattack and financeminister Asad Umar, the foreign minister dismissed Indian claim of destroyingcamps of banned JeM in Balakot.
“There was no presence of any such camp(s),” he asserted.
“The Indian planes entered some three to four kilometersinside Pakistani air space and released payload when Pakistan Air Force plane scrambled,”he said.
Qureshi also warned India not to underestimate Pakistan.
“Do not underestimate us. We have our own sense of timingand we will act and react. Pakistan will do what Pakistan should do,” he saidand added “we will not disappoint the people of Pakistan.”
Describing the situation following the Indian air strikes as”serious”, Qureshi said that Prime Minister Khan also had telephonicconversations with UAE crown prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan as wellas Saudi crown prince Mohammad bin Salman over the issue.
He also said that he has spoken to the foreign minister ofthe UAE and expressed Pakistan’s reservations for inviting Indian foreignminister as chief of guest in the OIC meeting scheduled early next month.
Qureshi faced tough questions from journalists forcing himto end his media interaction abruptly.
As journalists posed some tough questions regardingPakistan’s failure to “give timely response to Indian jets”, foreign officespokesperson Dr Mohammad Faisal intervened and asked Qureshi to end the mediabriefing.
When a journalist asked the foreign minister to tell as whya “well-prepared Pakistan Air Force could not hit a single intruding Indianaircraft”, Qureshi chided him, “you are a Pakistani and respect the ability ofthe Pakistan Air Force. Escalation was not our purpose”.
When another journalist asked him to comment on India’sclaim that the JeM camps were destroyed by the Indian jets, Queshi tauntedsaying “you shouldn’t put such questions”.