Islamabad, July 27, 2023 (PPI-OT): Pakistan has condemned the provocative remarks made by Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in Drass, Ladakh, boasting readiness to cross the Line of Control and reminded the Indian leadership that it is fully capable of defending against any aggression. The Foreign Office Spokesperson, Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, in a statement issued in Islamabad said, “We counsel India to exercise utmost caution as its belligerent rhetoric is a threat to the regional peace and stability, and contributes to destabilizing the strategic environment in South Asia.”

She said this is not the first time that India’s political leaders and senior military officers have made highly irresponsible remarks about Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan. “This kind of jingoistic statements must stop. The Indian leadership is reminded that Pakistan is fully capable of defending itself against any aggression,” she added. The spokesperson said the practice of dragging Pakistan into India’s populist public discourse, with a view to stoking hyper-nationalism and reaping electoral gains, needed to end.

She said everything from history to law and from morality to the situation on the ground belied India’s claims about Jammu and Kashmir, which was an internationally-recognized disputed territory. The relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions stipulated that the final disposition of the territory would be made in accordance with the will of the people expressed through the democratic method of a free and impartial plebiscite conducted under the auspices of the United Nations, she maintained.

“India would be well-advised to faithfully implement these resolutions, rather than entertaining any notions of grandeur,” the Spokesperson further said. The Indian media d Defence Minister Rajnath Singh as saying that if need arose, the Indian army would not hesitate to cross the Line of Control.

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