ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Foreign Office (FO) on Wednesday issued a strong condemnation of what it described as an “unprovoked and blatant act of war” by India, warning that the action has brought the two nuclear-armed nations “closer to a major conflict.”
In a statement, FO spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan said that, the Indian Air Force, operating within Indian airspace, violated Pakistan’s sovereignty by using “standoff weapons” to target civilian populations. According to the FO, these attacks occurred across the international border in Muridke and Bahawalpur, and across the Line of Control (LoC) in Kotli and Muzaffarabad, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).
The spokesperson stated that, the Indian action resulted in the “martyrdom of civilians, including women and children” and posed a “grave threat to commercial air traffic.”
Calling the incident a “cowardly action,” the FO asserted that it was a “flagrant violation of the UN Charter, international law, and established norms of inter-state relations.”
The statement further criticized the Indian leadership for allegedly using the recent Pahalgam attack as a pretext to advance a “sham narrative of victimhood,” which, according to Pakistan, is “jeopardising regional peace and security.”
FO warned that “the situation continues to evolve” and reiterated Pakistan’s right to respond “appropriately at a time and place of its choosing, in accordance with the Article-51 of the UN Charter, and as enshrined in international law.”
The statement concluded by emphasizing the unity of the Pakistani government, armed forces, and people in the face of Indian aggression, vowing to act with “iron resolve to protect and preserve the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Pakistan.”
