A recent video released by former Pakistani Diplomat Abdul Basit highlighted that Pakistan is fearful of another surgical strike by India in the wake of the recent terror attack in Poonch.
In the video, the former diplomat also called the militant attack in Poonch “legitimate.” He said, “Whoever has done it, be it Mujahedeen or whosoever, they have targeted the military, not civilians. They are engaged in a legitimate struggle. If you are conducting a movement, you are targeting the military but not civilians, international law allows it.”
Basit’s Comments
The former diplomat said that while talk of the possibility of a counter-strike was spreading throughout Pakistan, he hoped that India’s Presidency of G20 and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit would deter the country from taking a step like the bombing raid conducted by India in Balakot in 2019.
Nevertheless, Basit said that while he was hopeful that India shall not indulge in a “stupidity” like the last surgical strike in the near future, it is quite possible that New Delhi might undertake such a step just before the next elections in 2024.
He also expressed optimism that the incident would not cause India to withdraw its invitation to Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari for the upcoming SCO foreign ministerial conclave in May.
Additionally, refuting comments made by former Army Chief Qamar Javed Bajwa, who said that Pakistan is not capable of fighting a war with India, he claimed that India knows where Pakistan stands.
Poonch Terror Attack
The former diplomat’s video comes a few days after the Poonch terror attack, which claimed the lives of five Indian soldiers of the Rashtriya Rifles. Unidentified terrorists had lobbed grenades and opened fire at an army vehicle going through Bhimber Gali, Poonch district, in the Rajouri sector of Jammu and Kashmir on 20 April.
A massive search operation was launched by the army to hunt down a group of around six to seven terrorists alleged to be behind the ambush. While the investigations and search operations are still underway, terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad’s offshoot People’s Anti-Fascist Front (PAFF) has reportedly claimed responsibility for the attack.