Pakistan urges peace but warns of swift response to Indian provocation

Rawalpindi: Director General ISPR, Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, has expressed hope that the ceasefire between Pakistan and India will continue.

In an interview with an American newspaper, the spokesperson for the Pakistan Armed Forces said that the Pakistan-India ceasefire is expected to hold and that the hotline between the two countries remains active. He added that after four days of missile and aerial attacks, senior officials from both sides have been communicating through the hotline, which raises hope for continued peace along the border. Pakistan has been transparent about the human and financial losses caused by Indian attacks, and it is hoped that India has done the same.

Earlier, in an interview with a Turkish news agency, DG ISPR said that Pakistan is currently the country most affected by terrorism, with over 3,700 terrorist incidents since January 2024. He claimed that India is supporting and encouraging this terrorism, and that in the last 17 months, 3,896 people have been martyred, including 2,582 civilians and security personnel.

The military spokesperson stated that what happens in Indian-occupied Kashmir or within India is their internal matter, but Kashmir remains an internationally recognized dispute.

He emphasized that Pakistan is a peace-loving nation, but any provocation or attack by India will receive a swift response. He added, “The reality is that India is not the US, and Pakistan is not Afghanistan. India is not Israel, and Pakistan is not Palestine. Pakistan will not bow to Indian dominance.”

Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif further stated that the sooner India realizes this, the better it will be for regional and global peace. He said India has failed to provide any evidence in the Pahalgam incident, and the Indian government is using such incidents as a pretext for its terrorism narrative.

He also revealed that the BLA (Balochistan Liberation Army), which attacked the Jaffer Express, openly sought help from India, and that some Indian leaders, politicians, and retired generals have expressed support for the BLA.

The army spokesperson also said that during recent tensions, Pakistan shot down five Indian warplanes, including three Rafale jets, but India refuses to acknowledge the losses, despite global awareness of the incident.