Pakistan summons Indian envoy over missile strikes

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Wednesday summoned the Indian Charge d’Affaires to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to register a strong protest over what it called unprovoked Indian strikes that claimed the lives of 26 civilians across Pakistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).

The Foreign Office (FO) condemned the attacks in the strongest terms, describing them as a blatant violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Officials stated that the strikes contravened the United Nations Charter, international law, and established diplomatic norms that govern conduct between states.

The Indian envoy was handed a formal demarche, in which Pakistan rejected New Delhi’s claims attempting to justify the attacks as “baseless and fabricated.”

The FO warned that such reckless and irresponsible actions by India threaten regional peace and could lead to a dangerous escalation between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.

In an earlier statement, the FO had termed the Indian strikes a “flagrant breach of international law”, reiterating that such acts undermine stability in South Asia and violate all norms of civilized state behavior.

Read more: Turkiye condemns Indian airstrikes targeting civilians in Pakistan

Pakistan reaffirmed its right to respond in self-defence, invoking Article 51 of the UN Charter, which guarantees every sovereign nation the right to respond to armed aggression.

Officials confirmed that the Indian aggression resulted in the martyrdom of innocent civilians, including women and children, further aggravating the humanitarian toll of recent hostilities.

“The Government, Armed Forces, and the people of Pakistan stand united in defending every inch of our homeland,” the FO said. “Any further provocation will be met with a firm and proportionate response.”

The latest development adds a dangerous dimension to the already tense relations between Islamabad and New Delhi, with regional and global observers urging restraint and diplomacy to prevent the situation from spiraling out of control.