Islamabad (Web Desk): Director General (DG) Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry has said that when Pakistan strikes India at a time and place of their choosing, the whole world will come to know, adding that “its reverberation will be heard everywhere”.
Addressing a joint press conference alongside DGISPR, Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) Ishaq Dar said Pakistan reserves the right to respond to India at a time, place and manner of its choosing, in view of the grave and unlawful Indian aggression of violating Pakistani airspace.
The deputy prime minister said despite repeated provocations, Pakistan being a responsible state has so far exercised strategic restraint, acted with maturity and limited its response strictly to self defence, in accordance with the international law and the United Nations (UN) Charter.
Ishaq Dar said India today launched a highly provocative and dangerously escalated attack, firing four projectiles targeting Pakistani territory.
Giving details, he said three projectiles were immediately dropped at Amritsar while the fourth that entered Pak airspace was neutralized by Pakistan's Air defence System and its debris fell in Dinga town inside Pakistan.
He emphasized that the deep-rooted and centuries old cultural affinity between Pakistan and the Sikhs of the Indian Punjab is well known along with the long history of communal persecution of both at the hands of extremist Hindutva majority.
He added that Pakistan rejects any intention or action that may endanger civilian population in Indian Punjab.
Ther deputy premier said this Indian act appears to be a design to falsely implicate Pakistan for targeting Indian civilians and incite anti-Pakistan sentiments among the Punjabi Sikh population to conveniently externalize the rising communal tensions within India.
“Pakistan deeply sympathizes with the Indian Sikh population as their lives were in danger by India's malicious use of projectiles to achieve sinister political ends,” Dar said.
The DPM said Pakistan remains firmly committed to safeguard innocent lives and regional harmony unlike India's divisive policies.
Briefing the media on the latest act of Indian aggression, Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said that Pakistan has successfully neutralized 29 drones so far.
He assured that any airborne object approaching Pakistan is being monitored closely and will be taken down accordingly.
“India should refrain from creating war hysteria for domestic political purposes,” the DG ISPR said.
He also condemned the targeting of religious sites, revealing that one of the drones was directed toward Nankana Sahib, a holy place for Sikhs, a move he described as abhorrent and unacceptable.
The DG ISPR further assured that Pakistan will respond at a time and place of its choosing, emphasizing that the world will witness Pakistan’s retaliation.
Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif said that the armed forces of Pakistan are on the highest level of alert.
During the briefing, the debris of neutralized Indian drones was displayed for the media.