Military strongly rejects Indian army chief’s claim labelling Pakistan ‘epicenter of terrorism’

Pakistan's military strongly condemned on Wednesday Indian Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi's remarks accusing Pakistan of being the "epicenter of terrorism", calling the statement baseless, politically motivated, and reflective of India's own failings in Kashmir.

General Dwivedi, speaking at a press conference in New Delhi on Monday, claimed that Pakistan was orchestrating the violence in Kashmir. “Sixty percent of the terrorists neutralized in Jammu and Kashmir last year were of Pakistani origin,” he said.

In a strongly-worded response, Pakistan's Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) called the Indian army chief's remarks “an exercise in futility to beat the dead horse of India’s default position – blaming Pakistan for indigenous reactions to state-sponsored brutality.”

"[The] remarks are an attempt to deflect the world's attention from India's brutality in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IOJK), repression of minorities internally, and India's trans-national repression," the ISPR said, adding that politically motivated and fallacious statements reflect the extreme politicization of Indian Army.

The statement also highlighted General Dwivedi’s past role in Kashmir, accusing him of overseeing "the most brutal repression of Kashmiris" during his previous posting in the region.

"The world is witness to India's hate-speech conclaves that provoke genocide against Muslims, its trans-national assassinations, and the oppressive use of force against innocent civilians and unarmed Kashmiris in IIOJK," it stated.

The ISPR argued that India's oppression has only strengthened the resolve of Kashmiris in their struggle for the right to self-determination, a right enshrined in the United Nations Security Council resolutions.

The statement pointed out the inconsistency in General Dwivedi’s allegations by referencing a senior Indian military officer currently in Pakistan’s custody. “The sobering fact that a senior serving Indian military officer is in Pakistan's custody, caught red-handed while orchestrating acts of terror against innocent civilians inside Pakistan, seems to have been conveniently ignored by the General,” the ISPR noted.

The ISPR called the Indian army chief’s remarks a “self-delusional” narrative aimed at fabricating a non-existent terror infrastructure in Pakistan.

It urged India to adopt a more professional and civil approach, saying, “It is hoped that civility, professionalism, and norms of state-to-state behavior would guide the conduct of Indian Army’s leadership, rather than pandering to political exigencies.”

Earlier in the day, Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs also rejected the remarks. “Jammu and Kashmir remains an internationally recognized disputed territory, whose final status is to be determined in accordance with relevant United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions and the aspirations of the Kashmiri people. In this context, India has no legal or moral grounds to assert fictitious claims over the territories of Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan,” it said.

“Such rhetoric from Indian leadership cannot divert international attention from the grave human rights violations and oppressive measures being carried out in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir. These actions suppress the legitimate and just struggle of the Kashmiri people for their inalienable right to self-determination.”

The ministry also underscored that provocative statements of this nature are counterproductive to regional peace and stability.

“Instead of leveling baseless allegations against others, India must introspect and address its own documented involvement in orchestrating targeted assassinations, acts of subversion, and state-sponsored terrorism in foreign territories,” it concluded.