The National Security Council of Pakistan has labeled the “deliberate” airstrikes by the Indian Army on Pakistani territory as “acts of war” and has stated that it reserves the right to respond following the death of 26 people in Pakistani-controlled Kashmir.
“The deliberate attacks against civilians, including innocent women and children, by the Indian Army constitute a heinous and shameful crime that violates all norms of human conduct and provisions of International Law,” they stated in a press release.
The Security Council has recalled that Pakistan reserves the right to respond to Indian attacks under its right to “self-defense,” as stated in Article 51 of the United Nations Charter, at the time, place, and manner it deems appropriate.
“The Pakistani Armed Forces have been duly authorized to take the corresponding measures in this regard,” he stated in reference to “unprovoked and unjustified” attacks that have been directed “deliberately against civilian areas under the false pretext” of the existence of “imaginary terrorist camps.”
How was the new conflict between India and Pakistan generated?
The Council has demanded that the international community recognize the seriousness of the “illegal” actions of the Indian Government and has called for pressure to hold them accountable for “violating” international laws, according to a statement reported by Dawn, a Pakistani media outlet.
At the Security Council meeting held this Wednesday, the president of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, Sahir Shamshad Mirza, and the Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, attended. The Prime Minister is expected to address the nation later.
The Pakistani Army has reported that there are now 26 dead and more than 40 injured in the attacks by India, which said it aimed to attack “terrorist positions” in response to the late April attack on the town of Pahalgam in Indian Kashmir, where 26 people died.
The military action represents a significant escalation of tensions between both countries.
The Associated Press reported that India fired missiles across the border into territory controlled by Pakistan at at least three points early Wednesday morning.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan has summoned the chargé d’affaires of India in Pakistani territory, Geetika Srivastava, the highest-ranking Indian diplomat in the neighboring country, to address the latest attacks carried out by both parties.