Pakistan army scoffs at Indian general's threat to seize Kashmir portion

Pakistani military has dismissed as "intellectually insulting" and "delusional" an Indian military general's threat to seize Pakistan-administered Kashmir.

The Pakistan military's media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), issued a statement on Thursday slamming the comments of the Indian army's Lieutenant General Upendra Dwivedi, who on Tuesday said the "Indian army is ready to execute orders" to take the portion of Kashmir under Pakistan's administration.

Dwivedi's "lofty claims and surreal ambition, is intellectually insulting," ISPR said.

Dwivedi, who heads the northern command of the Indian army, was responding to Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh's statement last month that India would attack and take Pakistani side of Kashmir.

"As far as the Indian army is concerned, it will carry out any order given by the Government of India. Whenever such orders are given, we will always be ready for it," Dwivedi was quoted as saying by Indian broadcaster NDTV.

Pakistani military said "the unwarranted statement of a high-ranking Indian army officer concerning Azad Jammu and Kashmir is an apt manifestation of Indian Armed Forces' delusional mindset and showcases the vivid imprint of domestic political showboating on Indian military thought."

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'Irresponsible rhetoric'

The ISPR said it was an attempt to "divert attention from Indian army's repressive use of force and gross human rights violations against innocent, unarmed Kashmiris striving for their right of self-determination."

The Pakistani military said it is a force for good and a supporter of regional peace and stability, warning its desire for peace is matched by its capability and readiness to "thwart any misadventure or aggression against our territory, an assertion comprehensively validated on numerous occasions, most recently in the Balakot episode."

"In the interest of peace for the region, the Indian military would do well to abstain from irresponsible rhetoric and vitriolic communication to shore up electoral support for their political masters' regressive ideology," Pakistani army said, referring to right-wing government in India led by PM Narendra Modi. 

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Heavily militarised region

Kashmir, split between Pakistan and India, has been claimed by both sides in entirety since British rule of the subcontinent ended 75 years ago and Pakistan and India were born.

Rebels in the India-administered portion of Kashmir have been fighting New Delhi's rule since 1989. Most Muslim Kashmiris support the rebels' goal of uniting the territory, either under Pakistani rule or as an independent country.

India calls the Himalayan region an "integral part" of its nation and is against holding a UN-backed plebiscite there. Pakistan sees Kashmir as an unfinished business of partition and its "jugular vein."

India-administered Kashmir remains one of the world's most militarised regions, where India has deployed more than 500,000 troops.

Tens of thousands, mostly civilians, have lost their lives in decades of conflict.

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