Pakistan did not react to the harsh statements made by the Indian leadership regarding the recent skirmishes along the Line of Control (LoC) only to defuse the tension and avoid escalation of hostilities, Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar said on Monday.
Responding to a critical speech delivered by Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Nisar Ali Khan in which he criticised the president, the prime minister and the foreign minister for adopting an “inappropriate and extra-soft stance over the recent Pakistan-India tensions on the LoC”, Khar said Pakistan, unlike the Indian leadership, had adopted a calculated and responsible stance on the issue. The foreign minister said Pakistan made a mark in the entire world by dealing with the situation responsibly.
She said as a responsible country, Pakistan had resorted to available mechanisms to put across its point that included meetings of the director generals military operations (DGMOs)‚ summoning of the Indian high commissioner to lodge a protest with him and offering an inquiry into the LoC incidents by the UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan.
She said India was told that these incidents were contrary to the peace process being pursued by the two countries.
Khar assured the House that the government was not oblivious to the challenges emanating from the eastern borders.
She said Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh‚ the foreign minister and army chief issued harsh statement but Pakistan did not resort to a course that would have led to more escalation of tension on the LoC. Earlier, in a written reply at the National Assembly’s Question Hour, Khar said the resolution of the Kashmir issue remained a fundamental principle of Pakistan’s foreign policy.
Pakistan adopted responsible approach to defuse tensions: Khar
