Pakistan's Foreign Ministry brought at least 15 foreign diplomats, including Chinese, German, and American, to the border areas to show them the destruction caused by Indian shelling in civilian areas.
Pakistani military spokesperson Major General Ghafoor, accompanying the diplomatic corps, said that Indian diplomats don’t have the moral courage to accept the reality on the ground.
“What good Indian High Commission is which can’t stand with its Army Chief? Indian High Commission staff didn’t have the moral courage to accompany fellow diplomats in Pakistan to LoC”, Ghafoor, who holds the portfolio of director general of Inter-State Public Relations (ISPR) - the media wing of Pakistan's Armed Forces, tweeted.
Indian Army Chief General Bipin Rawat on Sunday claimed their troops had destroyed at least four to five launch pads near the LoC, the de-facto border between India and Pakistan, while killing between four and five Pakistani soldiers and several terrorists.
The Pakistani Foreign Ministry sent invitations to the heads of missions of all embassies in Islamabad. India's charge d'affaires was also invited to prove his army chief’s claim before the foreign diplomats.
Returning from LoC. A productive visit of Diplomatic Corps to witness first hand the intentional targeting of civilians, their house and shops in Jura town. #KashmirBleeds
— Dr Mohammad Faisal (@DrMFaisal) October 22, 2019
Earlier, Pakistan's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mohammed Faisal said that the Indian side did not join them in the visit to the LoC. "The Indian side has not joined us in the visit to LoC neither have they provided coordinates of the alleged “launch pads”.
Foreign diplomats were being made to visit the Jora, Shahkot, and Nausehri areas where India said that they had targeted launch pads on Sunday.
Diplomats and media representatives reviewed Indian violations at Line of Control on Tuesday@OfficialDGISPR https://t.co/wLlsW6fZ5k pic.twitter.com/IpMPgXf4Pq
— Radio Pakistan (@RadioPakistan) October 22, 2019
Islamabad rubbished the Indian claims about having destroyed terror launch pads in retaliation for alleged unprovoked fire from the Pakistan-administered Kashmir region, to push infiltrators across India's border. Two Indian soldiers and a civilian lost their lives in the incident, it said.
Tensions have dramatically escalated between the two South Asian neighbours ever since New Delhi revoked Jammu and Kashmir's special status on 5 August.
Following the move, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan accused his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi of violating human rights on various international platforms and suspended diplomatic and trade relations with New Delhi.
