NEW DELHI/ISLAMABAD: On a day of almost a lull on the India Pakistan border after nine days of flare-up, India today conveyed to Pakistan that it was as much clear about giving a befitting response to its adventurism on the border as it was about giving diplomacy a chance.
On the other hand, Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif chaired a meeting of the National Security Committee (NSC) to discuss the border flare-up with India and the ongoing military operation ‘Zarb-e-Azb’ in North Waziristan, at which he said that Islamabad’s desire to maintain peace must not be misinterpreted as its weakness by India.
India flatly rejected Pakistan’s allegations of initiating violence on the LoC and made it clear to the country that it was now in a mode to give a befitting reply to its aggression.
In fact, “what has been responded to is a befitting reply,” Ministry of External Affairs’ Spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin said here.
It was now in Pakistan’s hand to escalate or de-escalate the violence, he said, replying to a question over the situation on the border at a media briefing here.
In Islamabad, Jamat-ud-Dawa chief and mastermind of 2008 Mumbai terror attack Hafiz Saeed demanded that the Prime Minister should convene an all party meeting to discuss the ‘India aggression’, which he said, was being committed by India at the behest of the US.
Pakistan Minister for Interior and Narcotics Control Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan also accused India of aggression and said that his country Pakistan will not accept political, military and strategic hegemony and monopoly of any country in the region.
Slamming Pakistan over these allegations, Mr Akbaruddin said, “these allegations were being made by those who harboured Al Qaeda Chief Osama Bin Laden, while telling their Western powers that they were waging a global war against terror”.
Mr Akbaruddin also sought to convey to Pakistan, the fruitlessness of its efforts to internationalise the issue by taking it to UNMOGIP, pointing out that Simla Agreement and the Lahore Declaration had laid down the Framework on how to resolve the bilateral issues between the two countries.
“There is no role for any third party.
“The United Nations Military Observers’ Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) performed no practical function,” he added.
The MEA Spokesperson also made it clear to Pakistan India too was all for peace, but it would not hold any dialogue in an atmosphere of terror.
“While we will not talk out of fear, we have no fear of talk,” he said.
In the sternest ever warning to Pakistan, Defence Minister Arun Jaitley had yesterday asked the neighbouring country to stop ‘adventurism’ on the border, else be prepared to pay an ‘unaffordable’ cost.
His Pakistani counterpart, Khwaja Asif, replied back saying that his country was capable of a befitting reply to any aggression on LoC.
Pakistan was not in favour of any tension between the two nuclear powers, and it “expects India to act responsibly,” he said.
“Pakistan’s wish for peace should not be construed as our weakness,” Mr Asif had said.
Amidst the continued sparring between the two countries over border violence, one Indian and one Pakistani today made news for one common cause, fighting against the oppression of the young, by getting Noble prize for their efforts. (UNI)
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