By Muhammad Luqman
Pakistan on Tuesday took Islamabad-based diplomats and foreign journalists to the Line of Control (LoC), falsifying Indian army chief’s claims of destroying terror “launchpads” in Azad Kashmir.
The diplomatic corps visited Jura, Shahkot and Nousheri’s sectors along the LoC hit by Indian firing on Saturday and Sunday.
Foreign Office Spokesperson Dr Mohammad Faisal and Director General ISPR Major General Asif Ghafoor accompanied the envoys.
Gen Ghafoor briefed the diplomatic corps and the media about the Indian violations in the border area. He said the Indian forces are targeting innocent civilians.
The diplomats and the media themselves reviewed the current situation in the area. They also visited Jura market and interacted with the locals there.
DG ISPR said the baseless claims of the Indian army chief stand exposed, according to Radio Pakistan.
What good Indian High Commission is which can’t stand with its Army Chief? Indian High Commission staff didn’t have the moral courage to accompany fellow diplomats in Pakistan to LOC. However, a group of foreign diplomats & media is on the way to LOC to see the truth on ground.
— DG ISPR (@OfficialDGISPR) October 22, 2019
The invitation to the diplomatic corps was extended on an emergency basis to the heads of missions at all the embassies in Islamabad. Indian chargé d’affaires was also invited to prove the claim of his army chief before the foreign diplomats.
Today foreign diplomats, media visited Azad Kashmir & personally witnessed that Indian Army Chief's claims were just a pack of lies and nothing else: @OfficialDGISPR https://t.co/C2rA3tzJ8c
— Radio Pakistan (@RadioPakistan) October 22, 2019
But the Indian side did not respond to the invitation. The Indian Defense Attaché told this paper on Monday that he was not going to the LoC while the Indian chargé d’affaires said New Delhi had not granted him permission for the visit.
DG ISPR Major General Asif Ghafoor, in a statement earlier today, said “What good Indian High Commission is which can’t stand with its Army Chief? Indian High Commission staff didn’t have the moral courage to accompany fellow diplomats in Pakistan to LOC.”
Senior journalists representing international media were also accompanying the 50 or so diplomats, including ambassadors and high commissioners.
The diplomats and journalists were free to visit any part of the area hit by the Indian Army and interview anyone to ascertain the presence or lack thereof any training camp.
