Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Dr Maleeha Lodhi said that Pakistan was exercising restraint but if India continues to “provoke a crisis with Pakistan” in an attempt to divert attention from the Kashmir issue then Pakistan was ready to respond with all the capabilities in its command.
Pakistan’s UN envoy asked the president of the United Nations Security Council to informally brief the body on the country’s escalating tension with neighbouring India and said she will discuss it with UN Chief Ban Ki-moon on Friday.
The Indus Treaty threat and boycott of SAARC is all aimed at deflecting attention from India’s grave violation of human rights in the Held Kashmir, Maleeha Lodhi said.
“India conducted a surgical strike at the Line of Control on Thursday to prevent terrorists from attacking Indian soil,” said India’s DGMO Lt. Gen. Ranbir Singh at a press conference in New Delhi, according to Indian media.
Pakistan rebuffed the claims with the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) saying, “There has been no surgical strike by India, instead there had been cross-border fire initiated and conducted by Indian forces which is an existential phenomenon”.
“In the early hours of Thursday, what we saw was cross-border shelling, mortar fire as well as small arms fire. We have captured an Indian soldier who was trying to cross, and two of our soldiers have been killed and martyred in this kind of cross-border shelling. But there was no surgical strike inside territory controlled by Pakistan.
“My country has exercised maximum restraint in the face of what happened in the early hours of Thursday,” she said before confirming that an Indian soldier, trying to cross the border, has been captured by Pakistan.
She said two of our soldiers died in Indian cross-border fire along the Line of Control in Kashmir on Thursday.
“We think India’s action is hugely irresponsible and we think the international community should urge restraint upon India.”
“Pakistan is showing maximum restraint but there are limits to our restraint if India continues with provocations,” Lodhi said. “Right now our effort is just to tell everyone this is what’s happened so far, watch this space because it’s a very dangerous space .”
Lodhi further said there had already been “ominous signs of unusual movement” along the border with movements of troops and tanks and credible reports of Indian evacuations of some areas.