Pakistan army hits back at senior Indian military official's threatening remarks

By Islamuddin Sajid

ISLAMABAD (AA) – The Pakistani military on Thursday condemned a senior Indian Army official's threat to attack Pakistan-administered Kashmir, calling it an "apt manifestation of (the) Indian Armed Forces' delusional mindset."

The Pakistan Army's media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), issued a statement in response to comments made by the Indian Army's Northern Army Commander, Lieutenant-General Upendra Dwivedi, on Tuesday, in which he stated that the "Indian Army is ready to execute orders" to take Pakistan-administered Kashmir.

According to the ISPR, Dwivedi's remarks were "lofty claims and surreal ambition is intellectually insulting."

Dwivedi was responding to Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh’s statement last month that India would attack and take Pakistan-administered Kashmir.

"As far as the Indian Army is concerned, it will carry out any order given by the Government of India. Whenever such orders are given, we will always be ready for it," Dwivedi was quoted as saying by Indian broadcast NDTV.

However, the ISPR said, “the unwarranted statement of a high-ranking Indian Army Officer concerning Azad Jammu and Kashmir is an apt manifestation of Indian Armed Forces’ delusional mindset and showcases the vivid imprint of domestic political showboating on Indian military thought.

“The fallacious remarks and unfounded allegations of so called launch-pads and terrorists are an attempt to divert attention from Indian Army’s repressive use of force and gross human rights violations against innocent, unarmed Kashmiris striving for their right of self-determination, upheld by International Law and enshrined in UN Security Council Resolutions."

The Pakistani military is a force for good and a supporter of regional peace and stability, the statement said, adding that their desire for peace is matched by their capability and readiness to "thwart any misadventure or aggression against our territory, an assertion comprehensively validated on numerous occasions, most recently in the Balakot episode."

"In the interest of peace for the region, the Indian military would do well to abstain from irresponsible rhetoric and vitriolic communication to shore up electoral support for their political masters’ regressive ideology," according to the statement.