Islamabad warns New Delhi against escalating tensions

DGMO says attack on vehicles could lead to major military standoffs

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan warned India on Monday that attacks such as the one on army’s vehicle could escalate a major military standoff between the two nuclear-tipped neighbours while questioning the 'tactical actions' targeting the supply lines.

The warning came from Pakistan’s Director General Military Operations Major General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, who spoke with his Indian counterpart through a hotline to issue a formal protest over recent ceasefire violation in which at least four Pakistani soldiers were killed.

The Indian troops targeted the army vehicle travelling across the Neelum River at Athmuqam on Sunday. The vehicle fell into the river after it came under attack and as a result of which four soldiers were martyred while a civilian passerby was also killed.

“DGMO Pakistan notified Pakistan’s demarche to Indian DGMO to protest deliberate targeting of Pakistan Army’s vehicle resulting in Shahadat of four soldiers besides injuring one soldier and a civilian passerby,” said a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).

Pakistan’s DGMO emphasized over the importance of controlling tactical actions of under command troops, since these indiscretions could potentially spiral major standoffs.



“Such acts have the potential to escalate which will then be extremely detrimental to peace and stability,” Major Gen Shahmshad cautioned his Indian counterpart.

“While we don’t want to go down the path where we start choking each other’s supply lines; however, any such recurrence will invoke more strong and effective measures from Pakistan’s side,” DGMO Pakistan Army was quoted as saying by the military’s media wing.

Tensions between Pakistan and India have been simmering for many months now as forces of the two countries have more often exchanged fire along their de facto border dividing the disputed Kashmir region.

Speaking at a news conference on Sunday in Rawalpindi, Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Major General Asif Ghafoor said Indian troops had broken all previous records as far as ceasefire violations were concerned along the LoC and working boundary.

The chief military spokesperson said this year alone Indian troops violated ceasefire by 580 times, the highest number ever recorded between the two countries.



Pakistan believes that the main purpose of India’s belligerence is to divert the global attention from the current uprising in Kashmir, which has been in the grip of violence since July last year following the killing of prominent Kashmir leader Burhan Wani in a police encounter.