Pakistan shall defend its sovereignty, territorial integrity with full force: PM Shehbaz

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday said Pakistan would defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity with full force in case of any misadventure by India, a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said, as tensions between the two neighbouring countries rise after a deadly attack in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).

Twenty-six people were killed and 17 were injured when gunmen opened fire at tourists in IIOJK, for which India blames Pakistan, while Islamabad denies any involvement.

The attack took place in a meadow in the Pahalgam area, and the dead included 25 Indians and one Nepalese national.

The attack led to a rise in tensions between Pakistan and India, followed by New Delhi suspending Indus Waters Treaty and Islamabad closing airspace for Indian flights.

The United Nations (UN) urged India and Pakistan to show “maximum restraint” as the nuclear-armed rivals imposed tit-for-tat diplomatic measures over a deadly shooting in IIOJK Pahalgam.

On Tuesday,PM Shehbaz had a telephone conversation with the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, this evening, which focused on recent developments in South Asia, the PMO said.

“While underscoring that Pakistan shall defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity with full force in case of any misadventure by India, the prime minister encouraged the UN Secretary-General to counsel India to act responsibly and exercise restraint,” it said.

During the call, the prime minister affirmed that Pakistan condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, while highlighting the sacrifices rendered by the country in the global war against terror.

PM Shehbaz rejected any attempt to link Pakistan with the Pahalgam incident and reiterated his call for a transparent and neutral investigation into the incident.

Moreover, the prime minister expressed concerns over “India’s attempts to delegitimise the Kashmiri freedom struggle by using the bogey of terrorism, as well as its widely documented state-sponsored terrorism in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir”.

He highlighted India’s weaponisation of the waters of the Indus Basin as unacceptable, while noting that water was the lifeline of 240 million people.

“Prime minister emphasised that the unresolved issue of Jammu & Kashmir remained the root cause of instability in South Asia, and urged the UN Secretary- General to play his role for its just resolution, in accordance with relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council.”

“The UN Secretary-General appreciated Pakistan’s efforts for peace in South Asia and said that the world could not afford any escalation in the region at crucial time,” the PMO said.