"War happens when diplomacy fails," Pakistan Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor said, adding the two sides remained in touch with each other over bilateral issues but India backed out of having a dialogue.
Maintaining that there was no space for any war with India owing to nuclear capabilities of both countries, Pakistan Army on Monday warned that its desire for peace should not be mistaken for weakness. “War happens when diplomacy fails,” Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor, the Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) – the media wing of the army said while addressing a press conference.
Ghafoor said though two sides remained in touch with each other over bilateral issues, India backed out of having a dialogue. He also accused India of carrying out 1,077 ceasefire violations since the start of 2018 to date.
“The Indians have to realise and understand where they want to go (in the future),” he said. “We are two nuclear powers, and there is no space for war.”
The ISPR chief said Pakistan had not responded to Indian firing, which followed an agreement by the two countries’ militaries last week to adhere to the 2003 ceasefire agreement, but was “compelled” to respond only when civilians were targeted. “If India fires the first bullet and no harm is occurred, we will not respond. If India fires the second bullet, then we will give a befitting response,” he said, while pointing out that Pakistan wants to respect the truce agreement.
Local administration officials said an elderly woman and a minor girl were killed and 24 others, including four children and eight women, injured in mortar shelling by the Indian forces on villages along the Working Boundary on Sunday.