
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri with IAF officer Wing
Commander Vyomika Singh and Army's Colonel Sofiya Qureshi during a press
conference, in New Delhi, Saturday, May 10, 2025. (PTI Photo/Arun Sharma)
- NEW DELHI — India responded on Saturday to the Pakistani military's
"provocative" and "escalatory" actions in a measured way
and Islamabad is resorting to a wanton campaign of targeting innocent people
and civilian infrastructure in Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab, Foreign Secretary
Vikram Misri said.
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- As the military conflict between the two neighbours
escalated, Misri said at a media briefing here that Pakistan's claims of
destroying various places and military installations in India are
"completely false".
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- The Indian and Pakistani militaries targeted each other's
installations using missiles in the last over 12 hours, further escalating the
already tense conflict situation.
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- The foreign secretary said the Pakistani claims about
destroying the Sirsa and Surat air force stations are "completely
false".
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- "There is a claim that has been made that the S-400
base at Adampur was destroyed, completely false, once again," he said.
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- "Claims made about large sections of Indian critical
infrastructure, power systems, cyber systems etc. being attacked and destroyed
are completely false," he said.
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- The foreign secretary said Pakistan is peddling these
lies for "obvious purposes".
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- "Pakistan continues with its execrable and wanton
campaign of targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure, especially in the
states of Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab," he said.
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- "There is also, on its part, a consistent attempt to
sow discord between communities in India," Misri said.
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- The foreign secretary noted that there has been a
particular focus in Pakistan's targeting of civilian infrastructure and the
population in Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab.
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- "Earlier this morning, Pakistan shelled the town of
Rajouri, killing Additional District Development Commissioner Raj Kumar Thapa,
adding to the civilian casualties and damage there," he said.
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- "We have also observed overnight damage to property
and injuries to civilians in Ferozepur and Jalandhar, among other places,"
he added.
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- Misri strongly rejected Pakistan's "ludicrous
claims" about India firing missiles towards Amritsar Sahib, saying these
"lame attempts" to divide India are doomed to fail.
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- The foreign secretary also described as "false"
Pakistan's allegations that Indian missiles have hit Afghanistan.
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- "This is yet again a completely ludicrous claim that
Indian missiles have hit Afghanistan. Totally frivolous allegation. And I only
want to point out that Afghan people do not need to be reminded about which country
it is, that has on multiple occasions, in just the last one-and-a-half years,
targeted civilian populations and civilian infrastructure in Afghanistan,"
he said.
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- The foreign secretary slammed attempts by Pakistan to
show that Indian people are criticising their own government on various issues.
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- "We have also seen in some of the remarks that have
been shown on television that the Pakistan Army spokesman seems to take great
joy at the fact that the Indian public should criticise the government of India
with regard to various issues," he said.
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- "It may be a surprise to Pakistan to see citizens
criticising their own government. That is the hallmark of an open and
functioning democracy. Pakistan's unfamiliarity with that, again, should not be
surprising," the foreign secretary added.