BackPakistan tests India-specific nuke missile, raises heat over Kashmir
New Delhi says it had been aware of the missile test, urges Islamabad to behave like a ‘normal neighbour’Islamabad has promised to raise the Kashmir issue at all international fora, including the UN
PremiumNew Delhi: In what is being seen as a deliberate ratcheting up of tensions, Pakistan on Thursday said it has tested a 290km range nuclear capable missile. In response, India said it was aware of the test, but dismissed the event without commenting on it.
However, urging Pakistan to behave like a “normal neighbour", Indian foreign ministry spokesman Raveesh Kumar strongly condemned the “irresponsible" and “provocative" statements by Pakistani leaders in recent days. Kumar’s comments come in the wake of a series of Twitter posts by Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, saying India was being governed by “fascist" and “racist" administrations, besides warning of possible ethnic cleansing in Kashmir.
“We strongly condemn highly irresponsible statements by Pakistani leadership on matters internal to India. These statements include references to Jihad and to incite violence in India, this is intended to project an alarmist situation, which is far from ground reality. Pakistan needs to understand that the world has seen through their provocative rhetoric based on lies and deceit," Kumar said.
Tensions between the two countries have been running high since 5-6 August when New Delhi revoked the special status accorded to Jammu and Kashmir under the Indian Constitution, and designated Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh as two separate Union territories. The move changes the contours of future dialogue on the Kashmir dispute with Pakistan.
Pakistan condemned India’s moves and has demanded that New Delhi remove measures imposed in the region in a bid to ensure law and order. Islamabad has also promised to raise the Kashmir issue at all international fora, including the United Nations Security Council. In a briefing on Thursday, Pakistan’s foreign ministry spokesman Mohammed Faisal said the resolution of the Kashmir issue as per the UN resolutions was its top foreign policy agenda, news agency PTI reported.
Thursday’s missile test is seen as an attempt to keep the international community’s attention focussed on the region after several countries told Pakistan to sort out the Kashmir issue with India bilaterally. Islamabad has also warned of a nuclear war breaking out between India and Pakistan.
When asked about the letter by Pakistan’s minister for human rights Shireen Mazari to the UN on alleged “human rights violations in Kashmir", Kumar said it was “not even worth the paper on which it was written". He also dismissed calls by international organizations, such as Human Rights Watch, alleging rights violations, saying their assessments were not based on facts. “There has been a gradual but positive improvement of the situation on the ground," he added.
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