File photo of Maj. Gen. Babar Iftikhar
The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) on Thursday slammed a senior Indian military official’s remarks about taking control of parts of Pakistan-administered Kashmir as “an apt manifestation” of the Indian military’s “delusional mindset.”
In a statement, the military’s media wing said the “unwarranted” statement on Azad Jammu and Kashmir showcased the “vivid imprint of domestic political showboating on Indian military thought.”
Earlier this week, Lieutenant General Upendra Dwivedi—the General Officer-Commanding-in-Chief Northern Command of the Indian Army—told media the Indian army was ready to “take back” AJK from Pakistan and just needed the government to give the order for it. “We will complete the operation quickly. Before that, if Pakistan is violating ceasefire, the answer will be different, even they cannot imagine,” he was quoted as saying. He also alleged that around “300 terrorists” were currently in India-Occupied Kashmir, while “another 160” were waiting to cross the Line of Control into India.
In its rejoinder, the ISPR said the Indian officer’s “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 U.N. Security Council resolutions.”
It said the Indian officer’s “lofty claims and surreal ambition is intellectually insulting,” adding that the Pakistan Army is a “force for good and a proponent of regional peace and stability.” This desire for peace, the ISPR warned, was matched with the Pakistan Army’s capability and preparation to thwart any misadventure or aggression against its territory, “an assertion comprehensively validated on numerous occasions including recently in the Balakot episode.”
It called on the Indian military to abstain from “irresponsible rhetoric and vitriolic communication to shore up electoral support for their political masters’ regressive ideology” in the interest of regional peace.