Pakistan Rejects India’s Terror Charges, Says ‘Regional Instability’ Claim Is Baseless

<p>Islamabad, Jun 2 (PTI) Any attempt to portray Pakistan as the source of regional instability is divorced from reality, the Foreign Office (FO) said on Monday.</p>
<p>The FO was responding to the Indian leadership’s criticism of Pakistan over terrorism.</p>
<p>Indian leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, in recent days, came down heavily on Pakistan for its support to cross-border terrorism.</p>
<p>The FO, in a statement, said that any attempt to portray Pakistan as the source of regional instability is divorced from reality.</p>
<p>It said that the Kashmir issue remains the core issue threatening peace and stability in the region.</p>
<p>Pakistan will continue to stand firm in advocating for a just and lasting resolution to the Kashmir issue in line with the relevant UN Security Council resolutions and the aspirations of the Kashmiri people, it said.</p>
<p>&ldquo;To sidestep this fundamental issue is to condemn the region to continued mistrust and potential confrontation,&rdquo; it said.</p>
<p>India has maintained that the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and the Union Territory of Ladakh have been, are and will always remain integral and inalienable parts of India.</p>
<p>The FO statement said Pakistan remains committed to peace and constructive engagement, “but it is equally resolved to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity against any aggression”.</p>
<p>Tensions between India and Pakistan escalated after the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, with India carrying out precision strikes on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in the early hours of May 7.</p>
<p>Pakistan attempted to attack Indian military bases on May 8, 9, and 10. The Indian side responded strongly to the Pakistani actions.</p>
<p>The on-ground hostilities ended with an understanding of stopping the military actions following talks between the directors general of military operations of both sides on May 10.&nbsp;</p>
<p class=”p1″><em><strong>(This report has been published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. Apart from the headline, no editing has been done in the copy by ABP Live.)</strong></em></p>