'Don't misread border restraint as weakness'

Islamabad, Nov 15: India should not misunderstand Pakistan’s patience and it is capable of defending itself against “any belligerence”, Prime Minister waz Sharif said on Tuesday. While chairing a high-level meeting at the Prime Minister’s House, Sharif said Pakistan was exercising “maximum restraint” in the face of “Indian violence”, and it should not be “misunderstood as our weakness”, a statement said.

“Pakistan cannot be bullied by such tactics as we are fully capable of defending our soil against any belligerence”, the Prime Minister underlined, a day after Pakistan said that seven of its soldiers had been killed by Indian forces on the LoC.

Sharif was briefed by his Adviser on Foreign Affairs, Sartaj Aziz on the “increased frequency of indiscrimite firing and shelling” from the Indian side targeting civilian populated areas.

The Prime Minister said that “deliberate escalation of tension at LoC by the Indian Forces is a threat to regiol peace and security”. He also termed it a “futile attempt” by India to “divert” attention from the “worst kind of atrocities” being allegedly committed in Jammu and Kashmir. Sharif urged the UN to take notice of the ceasefire violations on LoC and the “unwarranted escalation of tension” between the two countries. “Our Armed Forces do not initiate fire but will always respond in a befitting manner to any aggression,” said Sharif. (IANS)