‘War Threats Coming from India,’ Says Pak Army Post Pulwama Attack

An army soldier stands guard near the site of the attack in Pulwama on 14 Feb

(Photo: PTI)

A week after the Pulwama attack, Major General Asif Ghafoor, DG ISPR, Pakistan Army, on Friday, 22 February, addressed a press conference in Rawalpindi and claimed that Pakistan is not preparing for a war instead India has been sending “war threats”.

“We are not preparing for war. It's you (India) who is sending war threats. We are not preparing for initiating a war but we have a right to respond to the war threats from your side,” Ghafoor said.

Gharoof was referring to the Pulwama attack in which at least 40 jawans of the CRPF lost their lives after an explosives laden truck rammed into the CRPF convoy.

Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) had claimed responsibility for the attack.

He further alleged that whenever there is an important event in Pakistan or when Pakistan is “strengthening” itself, terrorism strikes India – also insinuating that these events happen around the time of Indian elections.

“In 2001, attack on the Indian parliament took place ahead of general and presidential elections,” he alleged in his press conference.

“When the Mumbai attack took place, our progress in the war on terror was quite good and at this time too, there were to be general elections in India from February to December.”

Major General Asif Ghafoor, DG ISPR, Pakistan Army

Referring to the Uri attack he said that the incident happened in 2016 when Pakistan Prime Minister was set to deliver a speech at UNGA. He further went on to claim that at the time of the Pulwama attack, there were eight events in Pakistan or involving Pakistan.

Ghafoor also said that India has been trying to isolate Pakistan diplomatically since 2016, but foreign dignitaries have been visiting Pakistan.