Islamabad, Jun 4: Pakistan Army today said that there was no space for any war with India as both are nuclear powers, but warned that its desire for peace should not be mistaken for weakness.
Addressing a press conference, Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor, the Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) – the media wing of the army – accused India of carrying out 1,077 “ceasefire violations” since the start of 2018 to date.
“Our defence, our desire for peace, should not be mistaken for weakness,” Ghafoor said.
“War happens when diplomacy fails,” he said, adding the two sides remained in touch with each other over bilateral issues but India backed out of having a dialogue.
“The Indians have to realise and understand where they want to go (in the future),” he said. “We are two nuclear powers, and there is no space for war,” he added.
Ghafoor said Pakistan had not responded to Indian firing, which followed an agreement by the two countries’ militaries last week to adhere to the 2003 ceasefire agreement, but was “compelled” to respond only when civilians were targeted.
“If India fires the first bullet and no harm is occurred, we will not respond. If India fires the second bullet, then we will give a befitting response,” he said.
Local administration officials said an elderly woman and a minor girl were killed and 24 others, including four children and eight women, injured in mortar shelling by the Indian forces on villages along the Working Boundary yesterday.
Ghafoor said Pakistan wants to respect the truce agreement.
