New Delhi: The deadly Pahalgam attack that claimed 26 lives was the original escalation, the government said on Thursday, hours after Pakistan’s key air defence systems were destroyed by India in a counterstrike. Islamabad attempted to strike 15 military targets in India, and in response, India destroyed the air defence radar systems in Lahore on Thursday.
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, during a press briefing this evening, said, “The attack of April 22 in Pahalgam is the original escalation, and the Indian Armed forces responded to that escalation yesterday.” He then moved on to The Resistance Front, the group that claimed responsibility for the deadly Pahalgam attack. Hitting out at Pakistan, Misri said that when the terror attack was brought up at UNSC, Pakistan opposed the TRF’s role.
He also reiterated that only terror infrastructure was hit in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, and that India’s precision strikes under Operation Sindoor were “non-escalatory, precise, and measured” in nature. He also said that 16 civilians were killed in Poonch and other areas due to Pakistan’s strikes.
A point-by-point breakdown of what Misri said:
“The attack of April 22 in Pahalgam is the original escalation, and the Indian Armed forces responded to that escalation yesterday.”
“What is interesting is that when talks on Pahalgam were ongoing at the UNSC, guess which country opposed to the TRF’s mention? It was Pakistan.”
“India’s response is non-escalatory, precise, and measured. Our intention is not to escalate matters, and we are only responding to the escalation. No military targets have been selected. Only terror infrastructure has been hit”.
“Pakistan’s reputation as the epicentre of global terrorism is rooted in a number of instances… You must have seen in the last few days, their Defence minister and former foreign minister accepted their country’s involvement with such terror groups.”
“It’s also odd that funerals of civilians are being carried out by coffins wrapped in their national flag, and state honours are being awarded.”
On Wednesday, videos from Pakistan and POK showed funerals being held after India’s strike on terror camps. The funeral was attended by Pakistan Army personnel, police, civil officials, and members of the banned Jamaat-ud-Dawah (JuD), founded by Hafiz Saeed. Over 100 terrorists were killed under India’s Operation Sindoor in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, sources told India Today TV. A day later, Pakistan attempted to target Awantipura, Srinagar, Jammu, Pathankot, Amritsar, Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Adampur, Bhatinda, Chandigarh, Nal, Phalodi, Uttarlai, and Bhuj.
In response, India destroyed an air defence system at Lahore using S-400 ‘Sudarshan Chakra’ air defence system and other surface-to-air missile systems.
