No space for war,but once it started,consequences would be unintended and uncontrollable: DG ISPR

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RAWALPINDI: The Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Major General Babar Iftikhar on Thursday said there was no space for war between the nuclear states of Pakistan and India but once it started, consequences would be unintended and uncontrollable. “There is no space for war between the two nuclear states but if it erupts, nobody will retain the escalation ladder and its consequences will be unintended and uncontrollable and things can spiral out of control anytime,” he said while addressing his maiden press conference here since taking over as the military spokesman.

He declared February 27 as a golden chapter in the country’s history. “The Indian aircraft violated our air space in the darkness of night between February 25 and 26 and Pakistan responded with a more effective response in broad daylight on February 27,” he said. “The way we responded on this day [Feb 27, 2019] is proof that any misadventure by the enemies of Pakistan will always be defeated. Our adversaries will be surprised by our bold responses every time.”

Iftikhar observed that whether the threats were external or internal, wars were fought with confidence and support of nations and the capability of the armedforces. Major General Iftikhar also said that February 27 was a day of thanksgiving and for making the pledge to defend the country whatever the cost may be. “Whenever a difficult moment arises, it were the nation and armed forces which faced the situation with bravery,” he said. He also dedicated February 27 to all the martyrs who sacrificed their lives in the line of duty. He recalled that following the Pulwama attack on February 14, 2019, the Indian leadership blamed Pakistan for the attack without investigation or producing evidence saying the truth was spoken only once. “We were ready and surprised the enemy which wanted to surprise us,” the DG ISPR said.

He said Pakistan took very seriously the military build-up and irresponsible statements and threatening language being used by the Indian civil and military leadership. He said Pakistan had made preparations keeping in view the capabilities of the enemy adding that the Indian capabilities were Pakistan-centric. “We are prepared to keep in view the capabilities not intentions, the intention can change overnight,” he said. He said Pakistan’s leadership always strived to adopt the path of peace but it was ready to respond in view of irresponsible statements coming from there. “Our capability to respond to any aggression is intact and we are keeping an eye on the Indian preparations,” he said.

To a question about India’s defence budget, he said India was at number three in the world in terms of military spending but Pakistan’s core capability was ready to respond to any aggression. He said they were also aware of the dangerous game which the Indian troops were playing at the Line of Control (LoC) to divert the attention of the world from its internal situation. “The civil and military leadership of Pakistan is aware of the dangerous game being played by India at the LoC to divert world’s attention from its internal rift and our armed forces are preparing to keep in view the capability of the adversary,” he said. He pointed out the Pakistani troops had already given a befitting response to the ceasefire violations (CFVs) from India at the LoC and would continue to do so in future adding that the Indian forces had suffered a heavy loss in terms of lives and material. He said the Indian CFVs have reached 384 this year. “We are a professional force and hit only military targets whereas the Indian troops fire at the civilian population,” he said.

On the Kashmir issue, Major General Babar Iftikhar maintained that Pakistan was and is with the Kashmiris in their struggle for the right to self-determination and would continue to do so in future too. “The resolution to Kashmir issue guarantees national security,” he said. He pointed out that the Kashmir issue was a geographical and ideological issue but now it had also become a human tragedy, saying that the international media, Genocide Watch and human rights organizations had exposed the Indian state terrorism in the Occupied Kashmir despite complete lockdown for the last 207 days.

To a question about the sufferings being faced by the Kashmiris during the last 207 days, he said the Kashmir issue has become a flashpoint and Pakistan’s leadership has also done its best to highlight the issue at the international level. “All the options to provide relief to the Kashmiris are on the table and it is up to Pakistan’s leadership to decide how to take the issue forward,” he said, adding that everything was possible but the decision was to be taken by the leadership.

Talking about the war on terrorism, the DG ISPR said Pakistan successfully fought the war on terror during the last 20 years adding that 1,200 small and big operations were carried out in which 17,000 terrorists were killed. This was besides around 150,000 successful intelligence-based operations. He said the Operation Radd-ul-Fasaad is underway to achieve stable, peaceful and normalized Pakistan.

He said the writ of the state had been reestablished across the country. He said Pakistan paid a heavy price in the war on terror, sacrificing 80,000 lives and suffering economic losses of 180 billion USD.

To a question, Major General Iftikhar said as far he knew, there were no reports of any suspension in the peace agreement with the Taliban. To a question, he said peace accord with Taliban is in the best interests of Pakistan. “Pakistan desires peace in Afghanistan and it will have a positive impact for the region,” he said. To a question, he said the international community was siding with Pakistan’s stance on de-escalation in South Asia and appreciative of its positive role in this regard. “President Trump also acknowledged Pakistan’s role in his visit to India,” he said, adding that Pakistan was closely working with the US for peace in the region.

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