Pakistan warns India against 'false flag' operations in Kashmir after UN vehicle attack

Pakistan army soldiers stand guard the Uri crossing on the Line of Control (LoC) in Chakothi, Azad Kashmir, August 29, 2019. (Reuters/File)
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Updated 21 December 2020
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Pakistan warns India against 'false flag' operations in Kashmir after UN vehicle attack

  • Pakistan blamed Friday's attack on India, implying it was aimed at embarrassing Islamabad and harming relations with the international community
  • Two UN observers in the vehicle escaped unharmed, UN says it is investigating the attack as India has yet to comment

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's military was on high alert in Kashmir on Monday as its prime minister warned India against carrying out any “false flag” operations in the disputed region after a United Nations vehicle came under attack in the part of the disputed region ruled by Pakistan.
Pakistan blamed Friday's attack on India, implying it was aimed at embarrassing Islamabad and harming relations with the international community. The two UN observers in the vehicle escaped unharmed.
“I am making absolutely clear to the (international) community that if India was to be reckless enough to conduct a false flag operation against Pakistan, it would confront a strong national Pakistani resolve & be given a befitting response at all levels of the threat. Make no mistake,” Prime Minister Imran Khan tweeted Sunday.
Pakistan says the attack on the UN vehicle was deliberate, as such vehicles are clearly marked and “recognizable even from long distances.”
The UN confirmed the attack and said it was being investigated.
India has not commented on the attack or responded to Khan's tweets.
The two nuclear-armed nations are bitter rivals which have fought three wars since gaining independence from British rule in 1947, two of them over the Himalayan region of Kashmir. The territory is split between Indian and Pakistani control, and both claim it in its entirety.
The two sides often exchange fire across the heavily-guarded Line of Control in Kashmir. Each accuses the other of routinely violating a 2003 cease-fire.