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India envoy's reply to Pakistan’s claim of downing Indian jets: ‘If it satisfies…'
Vikram Doraiswami warned that while India does not seek escalation, it will respond proportionally and “in the same light” if provoked.
Indian high commissioner to the UK Vikram Doraiswami on Thursday vehemently dismissed Pakistan's claims following India’s 'Operation Sindoor', which targeted terrorist hideouts across the border.
Addressing Pakistan's response in an interview with Sky News anchor Yalda Hakim, Doraiswami sharply questioned, "What are they retaliating about?"
He pointed out that “they (Pakistan) are retaliating against attacks on terrorism infrastructure...What does that tell you of their relationship with the terror groups?"
Doraiswami then noted that the original escalation was done by Pakistan when they killed 26 civilians in a scenic meadow of Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam.
The diplomat clarified that India did not target any military establishment or national infrastructure just to avoid further escalation. He said India's strikes in Pakistan and Kashmir were "precise, targeted, reasonable and moderate.”
"A fact that was actually acknowledged - in a left-handed way of course - by the Pakistani side in terms of their own statements, which said the airspace hadn't been violated,” Doraiswami said.
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He then went on to dismiss Pakistan's claim that it shot down Indian aircraft using Chinese-made fighter jets, Doraiswami said, “If it satisfies Pakistan's ego to say that they've done something, they could have used that as an off-ramp to move on. Clearly, they've chosen not to, and they've chosen to escalate the matter.”
Responding to Islamabad's threats of further action, he added, “We will respond proportionally and in exactly the same light.”
“For the last 15 days, they've also opened artillery fire along the Line of Actual Control... That's led to civilian casualties,” Doraiswami said.
Pakistan’s fresh attack bid thwarted
A day after India’s precision strikes on terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir under “Operation Sindoor,” Pakistan attempted a retaliatory assault late Thursday night, launching a fresh wave of drone and missile attacks targeting Indian military installations.
According to the Ministry of Defence, key sites in Jammu, Pathankot, and Udhampur were among the primary targets.
The Indian armed forces swiftly intercepted and neutralized the threat, preventing damage across at least 15 cities in northern and western India, including sensitive zones in Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan, and Gujarat.
