ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s parliament urged the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on Friday to condemn its nuclear-armed neighbor for escalating tensions along the border and endangering the peace and stability of the region by resorting to “reckless action” earlier this week.
Islamabad had convened a joint session of Parliament after Indian fighter jets violated its airspace on Tuesday and struck what New Delhi said was a Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) camp in Balakot, in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. India claimed that it had eliminated “a very large number” of JeM terrorists and trainers in the attack.
“The joint session calls upon the international community, including the UNSC, to condemn, in unambiguous terms, the Indian government’s highly-irresponsible action escalating the tensions to a new level and seriously endangering peace and stability in the region,” the parliament said in a resolution.
Tensions have dramatically escalated between the nuclear-armed neighbors since the JeM claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing in the Pulwama district of Indian-administered Kashmir on February 14 in which more than 40 paramilitary troops were killed. India has accused Pakistan of involvement, but Islamabad denies any complicity.
Rejecting India's claims of eliminating terrorists within Pakistani territory, the parliament termed it as “self-serving and fictitious,” adding that India’s allegations against Pakistan were “politically motivated” and its action have been guided by its “electoral calculations".
The members, however, recalled Prime Minister Imran Khan’s statement on February 19, offering Pakistan’s assistance to India in the investigation of the Pulwama attack and to take action on “actionable intelligence or evidence".
In a tit-for-tat, Pakistan Air Force on Wednesday morning shot down two Indian jets across the Line of Control, or the de facto border between the arch-rival neighbors, and captured an Indian Air Force pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan to demonstrate their right, will, and self-defense capabilities. PM Khan's announced on Thursday that Pakistan would release the India pilot as a “peace gesture".
Pakistan and India have fought two full-fledged wars in 1965 and 1971 over the disputed Kashmir region, but the issue continues to remain unresolved and is a flash-point between the two countries.
The country’s parliament rejected India’s attempts to “project the legitimate Kashmiri struggle for self-determination as terrorism,” and reiterated that Kashmir is an internationally recognized dispute pending on the agenda of the UNSC due to 'Indian intransigence.'
The joint session urged India to put an “immediate halt” to the continued human rights violations in Indian-administered Kashmir, and ensure an impartial plebiscite in the region as per the resolutions of the UNSC.
Former diplomats and security analysts, for their part, hailed Pakistan’s efforts for dialogue with its nuclear-armed neighbor for de-escalation and peace in the region.
“The ball is now in the court of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi …. all sane voices expect him to respond positively to the peace calls of his Pakistani counterpart. Wars are no solution to any problem, but meaningful dialogue is,” Tahir Malik, an academic and analyst, told Arab News.
