Srinagar
Pakistan Army spokesperson Major General Asif Ghafoor on Wednesday said it was India that always spoke of wars, whereas Pakistan talked about peace, reported Geo News.
“India always opted for an escape route from [bilateral] talks,” Geo News quoted Maj Gen Ghafoor, also the director-general (DG) of the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Pakistan as having said.
“He pointed out that there is a history of tense relations between Pakistan and India mainly due to the unresolved Kashmir issue,” the report said.
According to the report, Ghafoor said during an interview with a local news channel, noting further that the problems would not be resolved by issuing threats of war.
He reminded India that Pakistan’s desire for peace should not be misconstrued as its weakness. “We are a strong state and strong army having capacity and capability to thwart any misadventure,” the report quoted Ghafoor as having said.
Moreover, he said there is an election year in India where anti-Pakistan slogans are used in election campaign there. “But this does not happen in Pakistan,” he said.
To another question, the military spokesman said the Indian prime minister himself admitted that his people also did not believe that their army troops carried out a surgical strike in Pakistan administered Kashmir. “Surgical strikes are not carried with claims or mere verbal talk,” he said adding how surgical strikes which never happened could be admitted.
To a question about the role of Pakistan Army in politics, the military spokesman maintained that the army wanted to see political leadership in the country. “We have achieved unprecedented successes against terrorism in the country in the last two decades and will not take such a step, which can derail the country from the path to progress, “he said adding that in the last few years, Pakistan Army had extended more support to the democratic system.
To a question about threats from India’s political and military leadership, the DG ISPR said such threats would serve the purpose of deteriorating relations between the two countries and having a negative impact on the region’s peace. “Pakistan always talks about peace and talks while India talks about war,” The News International quoted Major General Asif Ghafoor as having said.
