- Thursday, February 27, 2025
The foreign office of Pakistan said Islamabad is fully capable of defending itself against any aggression.
By: Shubham Ghosh
PAKISTAN has strongly reacted to Indian defence minister Rajnath Singh’s remark that India could go to any length to maintain its dignity and honour, including crossing the Line of Control (LoC), which it shares with regional rival Pakistan.
A day after Singh uttered the words at an event in Drass in the northern Union Territory of Ladakh on the occasion of the 24th anniversary of the Kargil War victory over Pakistan on Wednesday (26), India’s western neighbour called it “belligerent rhetoric” and said it threatened regional peace and security.
Responding to the Indian minister’s remarks, the foreign office of Pakistan said Islamabad is fully capable of defending itself against any aggression.
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Pakistan Condemns the Provocative Remarks Made by India’s Defence Minister pic.twitter.com/butjrgznt0
— Spokesperson ?? MoFA (@ForeignOfficePk) July 26, 2023
In a statement, it said, “We counsel India to exercise utmost caution as its belligerent rhetoric is a threat to regional peace and stability and contributes to destabilising the strategic environment in South Asia.”
It also said that it is not the first time that India’s political leaders and senior military officials have made “highly irresponsible” comments about Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.
On Wednesday, Singh said India will make no compromise when it comes to protecting its sovereignty, unity and integrity. Speaking at the Kargil War Memorial in Drass where he paid tributes to the Indian soldiers martyred during the 1999 conflict, Singh said, “No compromise will be made in protecting the sovereignty, unity and integrity of the country. We have given a free hand to the armed forces to eliminate the nation’s enemies.”
“We can go to any extreme to maintain the honour and dignity of the country… if that includes crossing the LoC, we are ready to do that… if we are provoked and if the need arises, we will cross the LoC.
“India is a peace-loving nation which believes in its centuries-old values and is committed towards international laws, but to safeguard our interests, we will not hesitate in crossing the LoC.”
He also said that the Kargil war was imposed on India and accused Pakistan of backstabbing the country.
The Indian Army had launched a fierce counter-assault named Operation Vijay to push back Pakistani forces that had stealthily occupied important heights in Ladakh in 1999. The conflict started months after then Indian prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had taken a bus ride from New Delhi to Lahore to boost peace between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.
Kargil Vijay Diwas (Kargil Victory Day) is observed on July 26 every year to mark India’s victory over Pakistan.
