Pakistan has denounced and rubbished the \u201cmisleading and one-sided\u201d remarks by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi regarding regional peace, according to a statement from the Foreign Office (FO) on Monday.<\/p>\n
The FO\u2019s response came in reaction to remarks by Modi in a podcast with American computer scientist and podcaster Lex Fridman released on Sunday, where he said that \u201cevery attempt to foster peace with Pakistan was met with hostility and betrayal\u201d and that he hoped that \u201cwisdom would prevail on the leadership in Islamabad to improve bilateral ties\u201d.<\/p>\n
In a statement issued today, the FO said: \u201cThe remarks are misleading and one-sided. They conveniently omit the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, which remains unresolved for the last seven decades despite India\u2019s solemn assurances to the United Nations, Pakistan and the Kashmiri people.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the interview, Modi was questioned about the frosty ties between India and Pakistan and what he saw as their future. Responding to that, the Indian premier said that after the tragic events of Partition that saw bloodshed on both sides, \u201cwe expected them (Pakistan) to live and let live and yet, they chose not to foster a harmonious coexistence. Time and again, they decided to be at odds with India. They have waged a proxy war against us.\u201d<\/p>\n
He further alleged that Pakistan\u2019s involvement was found in global incidents of terrorism, saying, \u201cWherever terror strikes in the world, the trail somehow leads to Pakistan. Let\u2019s take the September 11th attacks, for example. The main mastermind behind it, Osama bin Laden, where did he eventually emerge from? He had taken refuge in Pakistan.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe world has recognised that in a way terrorism and the terrorist mindset are deeply rooted in Pakistan. Today, it stands as an epicentre of turmoil, not just for India but for the world. And we have repeatedly asked them what good can come from this path? We have urged them to abandon the path of state-sponsored terrorism for good.\u201d<\/p>\n
Regarding his overtures for peace, Modi claimed: \u201cWhen I became prime minister, I specially invited Pakistan to my swearing-in ceremony so we could turn over a new leaf. Yet, every noble attempt at fostering peace was met with hostility and betrayal.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rebuffing his remarks, the FO said India\u2019s \u201cfictitious narrative of victimhood\u201d could not hide its alleged involvement in fomenting terrorism on Pakistan\u2019s soil and the state-sanctioned oppression in Indian-occupied Kashmir (IoK).<\/p>\n
\u201cInstead of blaming others, India should reflect on its own record of orchestrating targeted assassinations, subversion and terrorism in foreign territories.<\/p>\n
\u201cPakistan has always advocated constructive engagement and result-oriented dialogue to resolve all outstanding issues, including the core dispute of Jammu and Kashmir. However, peace and stability in South Asia have remained hostage to India\u2019s rigid approach and hegemonic ambitions.\u201d<\/p>\n
The FO concluded by saying that the anti-Pakistan narrative emanating from India disturbed the bilateral environment and impeded prospects for peace and cooperation. \u201cIt must stop,\u201d the FO demanded.<\/p>\n
Islamabad and New Delhi have historically shared a tumultuous relationship, with India often releasing statements against Pakistan and the latter issuing rebuttals. More recently, in the aftermath of the Jaffar Express train attack in Balochistan, Indian media ran a disinformation campaign surrounding the incident to mislead the world, according to Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry.<\/p>\n
Gen Chaudhry had also maintained that India was the main sponsor of terrorism in the province.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe must understand that in this terrorist incident in Balochistan, and others before, the main sponsor is your eastern neighbour (India),\u201d he had said, adding that the Jaffar Express attack was a \u201ccontinuation of the same policy\u201d.<\/p>\n
In January, Indian Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi claimed that \u201c60 per cent of the terrorists eliminated\u201d in IoK in 2024 were allegedly of Pakistani origin. General Dwivedi further alleged that \u201c80pc of the remaining fighters in IoK were of Pakistani origin\u201d. The remarks had elicited a strong response from the Pakistan Army.<\/p>\n
Army chief General Asim Munir had termed the remarks \u201chollow statements\u201d that were indicative of the Indian military\u2019s \u201cgrowing frustration\u201d that served only to \u201cdivert the attention of their masses and the international community from their multiple internal fissures and blatant violations of human rights\u201d.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the FO had highlighted the issue of extra-territorial killings \u2014 including in Pakistan \u2014 which, according to multiple reports by international media outlets, were carried out by the Indian government.<\/p>\n
Covert Indian assassinations
\nA December 2024 report in the Washington Post has laid bare the ins and outs of an Indian intelligence campaign, which has been orchestrating killings \u2014 on Pakistani soil \u2014 of individuals it deems a threat to its national interests<\/p>\n
According to WaPo, the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) has been running an assassination campaign in Pakistan since 2021, an operation that shares similarities with covert actions recently attributed to Indian agencies in North America.<\/p>\n
Based on interviews with Pakistani and Indian officials, militant associates, family members, and a review of police documents, the report documents six killings in Pakistan that are allegedly part of this coordinated effort.<\/p>\n
The report notes that India extended this campaign beyond Pakistan, employing similar tactics in North America against Sikh activists, including Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada and Gurpatwant Pannun in the United States.<\/p>\n
The report draws comparisons between the tactics used in Pakistan and similar Indian operations against Sikh activists in Canada and the US. In both cases, Indian operatives allegedly relied on local criminal networks and poorly trained contractors.<\/p>\n
However, these operations faced significant setbacks in North America, including the plot to assassinate Sikh activist Gurpatwant Pannun in New York. The assassination attempt failed when an intermediary unknowingly approached a Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) informant posing as a hitman.<\/p>\n
Canadian officials have also accused Indian diplomats of surveilling, intimidating and plotting to assassinate Sikh activists. Electronic communications reportedly linked these diplomats to such activities, further straining relations between India and Western nations.<\/p>\n
India\u2019s Ministry of External Affairs declined to comment on the report, maintaining its longstanding position of neither confirming nor denying involvement in specific killings, but Indian officials have previously justified their actions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Pakistan has denounced and rubbished the \u201cmisleading and one-sided\u201d remarks by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi regarding regional peace, according to a statement from the Foreign Office (FO) on Monday. The FO\u2019s response came in reaction to remarks by Modi in a podcast with American computer scientist and podcaster Lex Fridman released on Sunday, where […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6971,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6970","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-national-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/weeklyyoung.pk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6970","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/weeklyyoung.pk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/weeklyyoung.pk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/weeklyyoung.pk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/weeklyyoung.pk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6970"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/weeklyyoung.pk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6970\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6972,"href":"https:\/\/weeklyyoung.pk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6970\/revisions\/6972"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/weeklyyoung.pk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6971"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/weeklyyoung.pk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6970"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/weeklyyoung.pk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6970"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/weeklyyoung.pk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6970"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}