GENEVA – Pakistan has sternly warned India against its repeated threats to carry out surgical strikes across the Line of Control (LoC), saying it will effectively respond to any Indian aggression.
Speaking in a debate at UN General Assembly, Pakistan’s permanent representative to the United Nations Maleeha Lodhi said any aggression or intervention will meet a matching and effective response from the armed forces and people of Pakistan.
She urged the United Nations and the international community to take urgent action to prevail on India to stop its open threats to use force amid the prevailing tensions between the two countries.
Maleeha Lodhi said India resorted to daily violations of the ceasefire along the LoC to cover up its crimes against the Kashmiri people and to divert world attention from its occupation.
“All I can say to them is: do not underestimate Pakistan’s resolve and capacity to defend itself.”
She said, “India claims, falsely, to have conducted a so-called ‘surgical strike’ across the Line of Control. This claim, and India’s repeated threats to conduct such ‘strikes’ across the LoC, constitute flagrant violations of the UN Charter’s injunction against the use or threat of use of force.”
She further said that this provides Pakistan sufficient reason to respond in an exercise of its right to self-defence.
Ms Lodhi also questioned if Indian leaders were trying to provoke a conflict with Pakistan by making such false claims and blatant threats.
She also urged the world body to take “urgent” action to prevail on India to control its threatening behaviour.
Ms Lodhi added that India has resorted to daily violations of the ceasefire agreement along the Line of Control (LoC) to divert international attention from its atrocities in Indian-occupied Kashmir (IoK).
