UNITED NATIONS, May 2. /TASS/. Pakistan is ready to defend its sovereignty but will not whip up tension, Pakistani Permanent Representative to the United Nations Asim Iftikhar Ahmad said.
"Let me underline that Pakistan does not seek escalation. This has been made clear by the political leadership of Pakistan and at all levels," he told a briefing at the UN headquarters. "At the same time, we are fully prepared to defend our sovereignty and territorial integrity should India resort to aggression."
According to the Pakistani diplomat, his country is keeping a close eye on the development and has the right to call an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on this matter when it thinks appropriate.
On April 22, armed men carried out a terrorist attack in the popular tourist town of Pahalgam located on the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir and killed 25 Indians and one Nepalese, leaving many more injured. The attackers managed to escape.
The Indian intelligence services have discovered evidence of the involvement of the Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence in the attack of terrorists from the Lashkar-e-Taiba group (outlawed in Russia), The Hindustan Times newspaper reported, citing sources.
Following the attack, India reduced the staff of its embassy in Islamabad by almost a half, declared military advisors of the Pakistani embassy in India personae non gratae, and shut down the key Attari checkpoint on the border with Pakistan. The Indian authorities also suspended an agreement with Islamabad on the management of water resources and the issuance of visas to Pakistani citizens.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a high-level security meeting on Tuesday, where he said, according to sources, that the Indian Armed Forces have complete freedom to determine the manner, objectives and timing of response to the terrorist attack.