New Delhi [India]: India strongly criticized Pakistan for supporting terrorism and emphasized that the global community is well aware of who is responsible for promoting it. Speaking at a press briefing on Friday, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal highlighted the issue of cross-border terrorism and urged Pakistan to take stringent measures to halt such activities.
Responding to a statement from Pakistan’s Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), which accused India of politicizing its Army following remarks by Indian Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi, Jaiswal said:
“The whole world knows who is promoting terrorism. In India, when we have terror-related attacks, where it is coming from, we all know the genesis, the root of cross-border terrorism. So, in this context, when the whole world knows who is the progenitor of cross-border terrorism, to say that we are trying to politicize something, etc., is totally immaterial. Everyone knows that there are people, there are countries who are responsible for cross-border terrorism, and we call upon Pakistan to take strict action to stop cross-border terrorism.”
The ISPR statement followed General Dwivedi’s assertion that Pakistan is the epicenter of terrorism, linking 80% of active terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir to Pakistan.
During his annual Army Day press conference on January 13, General Dwivedi directly blamed Pakistan for the violence in the Union Territory, stating that it was being orchestrated by the “epicenter of terrorism.” He emphasized that without Pakistan’s support, terrorist infiltration would significantly decline.
“If the support is not forthcoming the way India is looking at it, this kind of terrorist infiltration will continue to be there,” said General Dwivedi.
The Army Chief also noted the peaceful participation of locals in Jammu and Kashmir, with nearly 60% voter turnout in parliamentary and assembly elections, demonstrating a preference for peace.
“People of Jammu and Kashmir are shunning violence, and violence is being orchestrated by our Western adversary Pakistan,” he said.
General Dwivedi, who has extensive experience in counter-terrorism operations as the former Northern Army Commander, shared that 15,000 additional troops were deployed in 2024 to curb violence. This resulted in the neutralization of 73 terrorists, 60% of whom were identified as Pakistanis.