NEW DELHI: Dismissing as “fictional” New Delhi’s statement that the Indian Army had executed successful ” surgical strikes” against terror launch pads across the Line of Control on September 29, Pakistan High Commissioner to India Abdul Basit stressed on Wednesday that Islamabad would have “immediately retaliated” if that indeed had been the case.
Basit said India’s claim that it has conclusive video evidence of the surgical strikes seems “fabricated” as the sting operation conducted by an Indian television channel showed a police superintendent at Mirpur, Azad Kashmir, telephonically confirming the cross-border action by Indian Special Forces.
“No such surgical strikes took place. There was only cross-border firing by Indian troops (on September 29), in which two Pakistan army soldiers were martyred. Pakistan responded to it immediately and proportionately,” Basit said in an interview to an Indian television channel.
“Had there been any surgical strike, Pakistan would have retaliated immediately. We did not need any reaction time. It seems to me the term surgical strike is being used very loosely in India, no Indian soldiers crossed the LoC, there was only cross-border firing,” he said.
The Indian government has failed to release evidence of the surgical strikes in the shape of video footage, photographs or infrared images because according to New Delhi, it does not want to push the Pakistan army into a corner, nor compromise operational details, tactics, techniques and equipment used in the cross-LoC raids.
Asked what message Pakistan has got from the strikes, he said since there was no strike, there is no question of Pakistan getting any message.
On being asked if he would accept that Pakistan was isolated internationally after Uri terror attack, he said that Pakistan has suffered more from terrorism than any other country.
“We don’t need any lecture from anybody on it,” he said.
About SAARC summit, which was to take place in Pakistan next month, he said it being postponed was a loss for every country concerned.
“We are confident that Pakistan will host it next year. It is not the first time Saarc summit has got postponed. Pakistan would like to implement our Prime Minister’s vision of peace for development “ he added.
To the question on political asylum by India to Baloch leader Brahamdagh Bughti , the envoy said: “A handful of individual don’t represent Balochistan.” He added that he questioned the idea of destablising Pakistan and “if that happens we will see how this pans out”.
On the investigation into the Pathankot attack and trial of the accused on the Mumbai attack, Basit said that trials do take time. Pakistan is committed but without India’s cooperation it can’t go ahead, he said, noting that last year, Pakistan asked for some information on Mumbai attack but India has not responded yet.
“Trial is underway and the accused are behind bars. It is for India to cooperate,” he added.
