Imran, Nawaz, Zardari share stance on India

ISLAMABAD/LARKANA/PESHAWAR: The political leadership of the country while condemning the Indian violation of Line of Control (LoC) said the nation is united against Indian aggression.

The Prime Minister Imran Khan strongly condemned the Indian intrusion and said Pakistan shall respond to this uncalled for aggression at an appropriate time. While chairing a meeting at the PM House, Prime Minister Imran Khan directed that elements of the national power including the Armed Forces and the people of Pakistan to remain prepared for all eventualities. The prime minister appreciated the timely and effective response of the Pakistan Air Force to repulse the Indian attempt without any loss of life or property.

The former president of Pakistan and President Pakistan People’s Party Parliamentarians (PPPP) Asif Ali Zardari while strongly condemning the Indian violation of LoC said India should not have any misconception of this condemnation because Pakistan has the full potential to strike back at an appropriate time. “Each and every Pakistani citizen is standing shoulder to shoulder with the Pakistan's armed forces, he said.

The former president said if India is thinking of any misadventure then it should also keep in mind that we are a brave and united nation against any aggression. “Indian Prime Minister Modi should restrain from disturbing peace of the region. Voices are also being raised against jingoist Modi,” he said. Zardari said Pakistan is a peace loving country and wants peace in the region. Pakistan's policy of peace should not be regarded as a weakness, he concluded.

The Opposition leader in the National Assembly and President PML-N, Shahbaz Sharif, warned India that if India starts war then Pakistan’s flag will be hoisted in New Delhi. “It will be India’s mistake if it has taken Pakistan’s desire for peace as weakness,” he said while condemning the India’s violation of LoC. The PML-N president said we have proud, brave sons of the country who will defend the motherland.

“Indian Prime Minister Modi wanted to push the people of South Asia into war,” he said, adding on the one hand Modi is washing the feet of the poor and on the other hand butchering the innocent people of held Kashmir. Shahbaz Sharif urged India to use sense and avoid pushing the peace of South Asia into the fire of wars.

The Chairman PPP, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, has strongly condemned the Indian intrusion into the Pakistani territory and said India has chosen to respond to a home-grown, organic freedom fighters attack in Indian occupied Kashmir by conducting an airstrike on the Pakistan soil for the first time since 1971. “This outrageous and unprecedented act of aggression should be condemned internationally. Pakistan is well within our right to retaliate,” he said. He said the whole nation stands with our brave soldiers who are ready to respond to any scenario. “They risk their lives on a daily basis to keep us all safe. He said it is atrocious that the extremist Hindutva government of the so-called largest democracy in the world would risk provoking war between two nuclear armed states, to feed war hysteria at home and help with Modi’s re-election campaign,” her said. The PPP chairman stated that he was pleased that the opposition has called for a joint session of parliament, the appropriate forum for all decisions to be made. “While the whole nation will stand united with whatever decision is taken it is important for Pakistan to be cautious. We don’t want to play into Modi’s hands. Proponents of peace in the region on both sides of the border must join in calling for cooler heads to prevail,” he said. He said the people of India and Pakistan will be the collateral damage to any misadventure.

The President Pakistan Muslim League Q and former prime minister Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and Speaker Punjab Assembly Chaudhry Pervez Elahi said Pakistan has the defence capabilities and the entire nation is standing shoulder to shoulder with the armed forces of Pakistan, if India resorts to war then such befitting response will be given that all accounts will be settled and Kashmir will also win freedom. Appreciating the Pakistan Air Force on its timely and full response forcing Indian aircraft run away, they said India has always been hostile and inimical towards Pakistan, rulers like Narendra Modi have not accepted the creation of Pakistan from their hearts and they always target it with baseless allegations and have endangered peace of this region.

They said the Indian Prime Minister Modi has dropped to low level tactics for winning his election and the time has come to expose war hysteria of India to the world and after its aggressive action, Pakistan has the right to respond. “Our nation is not in panic, the armed forces of Pakistan are fully capable to defend the frontiers and giving an effective respond. They said the Indian cowards are in the habit of attacking hidden in the darkness of night and termed New Delhi the agent of terrorism in Pakistan and the enemy of peace. “India should understand that if it attacks our sacred land then it will not be allowed to run away, every citizen of Pakistan and the officers and jawans of our motherland are enriched with the spirit of martyrdom,” they said. They said India should not be under any wishful thinking and think a thousand times before attacking Pakistan.

The Ameer Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Pakistan, Senator Sirajul Haq said Indian Prime Minister Modi wanted to thrust a war on Pakistan to escape defeat in the elections but he would only be inviting disaster for his country. Sirajul Haq said the main issue between Pakistan and India is of Kashmir. He said the Kashmiris are fighting the war of liberation from Indian hold and they wanted to join Pakistan. He said in the present situation, it would be wise for India to hold a dialogue with Kashmiris and Pakistan. “However, he said, if India imposed a war on this country, it would be wiped out from the world map. He said the 220 million people of Pakistan are standing shoulder to shoulder with their armed forces and they would teach a memorable lesson to the enemy. The JI chief said the OIC is the platform of the Muslims and if the Indian foreign minister attended the OIC meeting, Pakistan should stage a boycott. He further said if the world community wants to stop a war between India and Pakistan, it should help solve the Kashmir issue. Sirajul Haq impressed upon the government to convene a joint session of the Parliament and an All Parties Conference for consultations on the prevailing situation at the wider level. He said the nation is united against India and the ruling party is taking the opposition into confidence in the present situation.

The Chairman Senate Standing Committee on Interior and PPP senior leader Senator Rehman Malik has strongly reacted to the violations of the Line of Control (LoC) by Indian Air Force last night. Terming it an utter violation of the international laws, he said Pakistan's airspace violation by Indian Air Force proves the warmongering mindset of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Malik said the violation of Pakistan airspace substantiates Pakistan’s point of view that PM Narendra Modi had a pre-planned agenda of engineering Pulwama Attack to defame Pakistan, adding India is bent on destroying the regional peace. He said the PM Modi has been vocally advocating for aerial and surgical strikes inside Pakistan even before the Pulwama attack with illicit motives to instigate Pakistan for a bigger reaction. He has urged the international community to take serious notice of PM Narendra Modi’s warmongering before Pakistan retaliates more heavily and powerfully. He said PM Modi wants to destroy the peace of the region in particular and the world as whole.

He questioned how come the Indian Defence Ministry did not know about the IAF violation across LoC. He said so the world is free to think if the Indian forces are actually out of control of the prime minister and the Ministry of Defence or it is a deliberate disinformation to have a face saving before the world for the blatant violation of the LoC. Rehman Malik criticised the OIC for inviting the Indian foreign minister as guest of the honour asking the Pakistani government to lodge a protest and boycott if the OIC doesn't take its decision back. He said how can the OIC invite such a country which is victimising the Kashmiris fighting for their legitimate right to self-determination. Malik said the whole nation stands by the armed forces in fight against country's enemies.

The former prime minister Nawaz Sharif also expressed his concerns and condemned the Indian aircraft intrusion in Pakistani airspace, tweeted his daughter Maryam Nawaz. Maryam said that during her meeting with Nawaz at the Koth Lakhpat Jail where he is serving his sentence in the Al-Aziziya reference case, the latter expressed his concerns over the developments, reported local media on Tuesday.

The Finance Minister, Asad Umar, said India would get response at a time and manner chosen by Pakistan. The finance minister urged the Indian citizens to understand that their prime minister is putting them in the harm’s way for political gain by initiating a conflict.

The Minister for Defence Production Zubaida Jalal rejected India’s stance over the violation of LoC, terming it a mere ‘political drama’ for domestic consumption. In a statement, she said Pakistan’s Armed Forces are ever-ready to safeguard the frontiers of the country.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader Babar Awan said that India is playing a role of regional rogue. Talking to the media here at the Lahore High Court Bar, he termed the Indian air space violation a drama and said a similar drama was done in the name of surgical strike in the past.

Dr Shireen Mazari, Federal Minister for Human Rights while speaking at the 40th Session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva called upon the UN Security Council and Human Rights Council to take cognizance of Indian Air Force violation of the LoC and breach of international law, which emanated threat to international peace and security. “Pakistan condemns the unprovoked Indian aggression across the LoC. This demonstrates yet another violation of the International Law by India and Pakistan will respond and exercise its right to self defence in accordance with the provisions of International Law and UN Charter,”

President of the Awami National Party (ANP), Asfandyar Wali Khan has termed space violation and provocative statements as dangerous for peace of the region, saying ANP would fully support the country if war is imposed by India on Pakistan. Asfandyar said war is not solution to any problem and all the disputes should be resolved through holding dialogue. Asfandyar said both India and Pakistan should show restraint.

The PPP Senator Sherry Rehman said Pakistan’s armed forces are fully prepared to respond to the "drums of war India is beating. At this time, a powerful and clear message should be sent out from the Parliament that we will give a befitting and swift response to Indian aggression,” she said talking to private news channel.

The Jamiat-e- Ulema-e-Islam Chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman urged to protect every inch of the country in the wake of Indian air attack inside Pakistan territory, saying entire nation is united and behind the brave armed forces. He was addressing a Khatam-e- Bukhari Sharif and Dastar Fazeelat conference held at the Jamia Islamia Ishatul Quran Wal Hadees in Larkana.