Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri on Saturday firmly rejected Pakistan’s “ludicrous claims” that Indian missiles had hit Afghanistan, calling them “totally frivolous allegations.”
Speaking at a press conference alongside Indian Army Colonel Sofiya Qureshi and Air Force Wing Commander Vyomika Singh, Misri urged the Afghan people to remember which nation had repeatedly targeted civilian infrastructure in their country.
“I only want to point out that Afghan people don’t need to be reminded about which country it is that has, on multiple occasions, in just the last one-and-a-half years, targeted civilian populations and civilian infrastructure in Afghanistan,” Misri said, indirectly referring to Pakistan’s role in destabilising Afghanistan.
He also criticised Pakistan’s attempts to manipulate global perception by falsely portraying India as an aggressor and stated that Islamabad was engaged in a “desperate misinformation campaign to malign the Indian government.”
Responding to statements made by the Pakistan Army’s spokesperson about some public dissatisfaction in India, Misri said, “The Pakistan Army spokesman seems to take great joy at the fact that the Indian public should criticise the government of India with regard to various issues. It may be a surprise to Pakistan to see citizens criticising their own government. That is the hallmark of any open and functioning democracy. Pakistan’s unfamiliarity with that should not be surprising.”
Misri went on to denounce Pakistan’s baseless claims that Indian missiles had been fired at a religious site. “Pakistani officials are continuing to make ludicrous claims about India firing missiles towards a gurdwara. These lame attempts to divide India are doomed to fail,” he said.
His sharp remarks came a day after he had already accused Pakistan of deliberately attacking places of worship and schools belonging to minorities, attempting to pin the blame on Indian forces.
“We have seen the Pakistani side targeting and shelling places of worship with a particular design. This includes gurdwaras, convents, and temples. This is a new low, even for Pakistan,” Misri had said, adding that Pakistan’s efforts to deceive the world with such accusations reflected its “evil design.”
He said, “Claims have been made about large sections of Indian critical infrastructure, power systems, cyber systems, etc, being attacked and destroyed, are completely false.”
He urged people not be mislead by the “tissue of lies” being peddled by the Pakistanis state.
The foreign Secretary emphasised on how Pakistan continues with its campaign of targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure, especially in the states of Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab.
“There is also on its part consistent attempt to sow disxcord between communities in India.”
Foreign Secy Misri said that there has been a particular focus on targeting of civilian infra and population of India by Punjab and said earlier on Saturday Pakistan shelled the town of Rajouri in Jammu and Kashmir which resulted in the death of ADDM Raj Kumar Thapa. He informed that overnight there was damage to property and civilians in Firozpur and Jalandhar amongst other places”.
He slammed Pakistan for spreading fake news on targeting itself calling, “These lame attempts to divide India are doomed to failure”.
“There is a completely ludicrous claim that Indian missiles have hit Afghanistan. Totally frivolous allegation” He said that Afghan people don’t need to be reminded which country has targeted civilian population and infrastructure”, Misri said.
In his concluding remarks, Misri called the developments to be “an evolving situation”. The remarks come amid the backdrop of rising tensions between India and Pakistan.
(IANS)
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