New Delhi, Feb 22:
Pakistan on Friday denied media reports which claimed that it is preparing for a war with India, amid heightened tensions between the two counties. However, Pakistan Army DG ISPR Major General Asif Ghafoor cautioned that they reserved the ‘right to respond to war threats from Indian side’, as reported by news agency news agency. Pinning the blame on India, Major General Ghafoor alleged that it is India which is sending war threats. His statement comes after the reports that Pakistan is allegedly preparing for war. “We’re not preparing for war. It’s you (India) who is sending war threats. We’re not preparing for initiating a war but we have a right to respond to the war threats from your side,” said Major General Asif Ghafoor. According to news agency Reuters, Major General Ghafoor said, “We will respond with full force to full spectrum threat, that would surprise you. Don’t mess with Pakistan.” “We do not wish to go to war. If it is imposed on us, we have the right to respond,” he told a news conference in the garrison city of Rawalpindi, added Reuters. The statement comes days after the Pulwama terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir on February 14 killing 40 CRPF jawans perpetrated by Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM). India already withdrew the status of Most Favourable Nation (MNF) to Pakistan in the aftermath of the attack. Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Thursday said that the government has decided to stop India’s share of water which used to flow to Pakistan. Gadkari said in a tweet that water from Eastern rivers will be diverted to Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab. The United Nation Security Council (UNSC), too, has not only condemned the terror attack but also mentioned Jaish-e-Mohammed (JEM), the group responsible for the attack.
The motion for the press statement was moved by the United States.
UN Security Council in a press statement said, “The members of the Security Council condemned in the strongest terms the heinous and cowardly suicide bombing…for which Jaish-e-Mohammed has claimed responsibility.”
This is significant since China is one of the 5 permanent members of UNSC. The other 4 are -US, Russia, UK and France. China did try to create issues due to which negotiations were prolonged.
