Indian diplomats don't have moral courage to see truth on the ground: DG ISPR
October 22, 2019
ISLAMABAD: Diplomatic corps reached the Line of Control (LoC) on Tuesday to visit the sectors hit by the Indian troops firing on Saturday and Sunday.
Foreign Office Spokesperson Dr Mohammad Faisal is also accompanying the diplomatic corps.
The diplomatic corps will visit Jura, Shahkot and Nousheri's sectors along the LoC and observes the ground situation.
The invitation to the diplomatic corps was extended on emergency basis to heads of missions of all embassies in Islamabad. India Charge de Affairs was also invited to prove the claim of his army chief before the foreign diplomats.
Director-General ISPR Major General Ghafoor who was accompanying the diplomatic corps said foreign diplomats visited Jora Bazaar and met with the people and shopkeepers there. During this, the diplomats also inspected the loss to houses and shops from Indian shelling.
About the Indian breach of the LoC, the military’s media spokesperson said India violated the 2018 agreements for the 3,038th time, while in 2019, India has violated the agreement 2,608 times so far.
He added, in 2018, 58 civilians were martyred and 319 injured, while in 2019 there have been 44 civilians shaheed and 230 injured.
Earlier in a tweet, DG ISPR said Indian diplomats do not have moral courage to see truth on the ground.
“What good Indian High Commission is which can’t stand with its Army Chief? Indian High Commission staff didn’t have the moral courage to accompany fellow diplomats in Pakistan to LoC,” DG ISPR tweeted.
He added a group of foreign diplomats and media is on the way to LoC to see the truth on ground.
Earlier, Dr Faisal in a tweet said the Indian side has not joined them to visit to LoC. "The Indian side has not joined us in the visit to LoC neither have they provided coordinates of the alleged “launchpads”.
Read also: Indian Embassy has no grounds to support their army chief's false claims: FO
“Claims” by Indian Army Chief remain just that: claims”, he added.
Senior journalists representing international media were also accompanying the diplomats, including ambassadors and high commissioners. The diplomats and journalists will be free to visit any part of the area hit by the Indian Army and interview anyone to ascertain the presence or lack thereof any training camp there since the Indian Army chief claimed on Sunday after two-day bombardment that it targeted the so-called camps where the freedom fighters were imparted military training.
At least five civilians and one soldier were martyred on Sunday in cross-border firing.
Read also: Kartarpur Corridor: India ready to sign final agreement on October 23
The Indian Defence Attache told The News on Monday evening that he was not going to the LoC while the Indian Charge’d Affaires said New Delhi had not granted him permission to visit to the LOC.
DG ISPR on Monday had said Pakistan would take diplomats and media on the given locations where India claimed it destroyed three alleged militant camps in Pakistan, to present the actual facts on ground.
"Indians have no grounds to support false claim made by their COAS. If they don’t want to go they have the option to share claimed targeted locations with our foreign office. We will take foreign diplomats & media tomorrow on those given locations. Let all see facts on ground," he tweeted.
