PoK chief says India lacks courage to violate Pakistan's borders: 'They follow Chanakya doctrine'
Security personnel stand guard at an Integrated Check Post near the Attari-Wagah border | PTI
Pakistan continues to peddle the narrative that the Pahalgam terror attack was a "false flag" operation initiated by India with Pakistan-occupied Kashmir "Prime Minister" Chaudhry Anwarul Haq joining the bandwagon. Haq taunted India, stating it lacked the courage to violate Pakistan's borders and called the terror attack 'fabricated'.
Speaking at the PoK Legislative Assembly, Haq said: "India does not have the courage to violate Pakistan’s borders. But if it does, a strong response awaits." Haq said India followed "the Chanakya doctrine—a dagger in the cloak of diplomacy" and said the Pahalgam incident had been "exposed as a fabrication."
He said India could use a third party to destabilise PoK from within. "If India attempts such an adventure, it will receive a fitting reply," he said. "Pakistan is a nuclear power," Haq stated. "No country, including India, has the courage to violate our borders. We are always ready to respond."
Haq also claimed that people in PoK "enjoyed freedom" and he stood with his brothers and sisters across the Line of Control. Despite his vain claims, the region has witnessed street protests seeking basic facilities, including food, reflecting the growing discontent among people.
Haq also alleged that Indiahad already begun to divert water from rivers Poonch and Neelum. "These are part of India’s broader designs against Pakistan," he said.
His statement comes as Pakistan anticipates a cross-border or air strike like in the 2016 Uri attacks and 2019 Pulwama attacks, wherein India hit a militant camp in Balakot with airstrikes in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. As per reports, flight data showed Pakistan Air Force C-130 is doing rounds of PoK.
Hussain Haqqani, a former Pakistani ambassador to the US, told BBC that an escalation is possible this time, with India likely to consider limited "surgical strikes" like in 2016". He added that such strikes can also invite retaliation from Pakistan.
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