.
ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan on Thursday expressed concern over the deepening strategic and defense partnership between India and Israel, warning that the growing nexus has serious implications for regional peace and stability.
Responding to questions during his weekly news briefing, Foreign Ministry spokesman Tahir Andrabi said Islamabad was closely monitoring the growing military ties between New Delhi and Tel Aviv, especially in light of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Israel this week.
During the visit, both sides decided to further deepen bilateral cooperation, including in defense and strategic areas, a development that has drawn attention in Islamabad.
“Regarding Indian-Israeli defense ties, yes, we remain seized of the defense ties between Israel and India, including systems and platforms that India is using against Pakistan,” Andrabi said.
He added that Pakistan was “alive to the threat they pose to our security and our sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as to regional peace and stability.”
The spokesman’s remarks come against the background of last May’s four-day conflict between Pakistan and India, in which India used Israeli-made drones. The episode heightened concerns in Pakistan about the operational dimension of the India-Israel defense partnership.
Andrabi reiterated Pakistan’s preparedness, saying Islamabad had “robust military preparedness to defend and deter any Indian aggression against Pakistan”.
The State Department also strongly rejected India’s condemnation of Pakistan’s recent precision strikes against terrorist hideouts in Afghanistan.
Responding to a question regarding the Indian foreign ministry’s statement criticizing Pakistan’s actions, Andrabi said: “We completely reject India’s statement.”
He said the Indian statement was a vindication of Pakistan’s position that New Delhi was supporting proxy groups.
Andrabi said New Delhi continued to “support and support terrorism in Pakistan through its support for the BLA, Fitna Al Hind and other terrorist organizations in the region.”
“We are in possession of concrete evidence of India’s involvement in sponsoring and abetting terrorism,” he said, adding that India’s latest statements provided “further evidence of India’s complicity in promoting terrorism in Pakistan.”
The spokesman maintained that Pakistan’s actions were carried out in exercise of its right of self-defense and were based on verifiable intelligence.
Amid escalating tensions along the western border, Andrabi clarified that there was currently no structured dialogue going on between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
“There is no structured dialogue right now,” he said, responding to a question about possible diplomatic engagement following recent cross-border incidents.
While stressing Pakistan’s respect for the Afghan people and historical ties between the two countries, he identified the core issue as the presence of terrorists operating from Afghan soil and enjoying impunity.
“The contentious issue is the terrorists operating in Afghanistan and the official support and impunity offered to this terrorism,” he said.
The spokesman also stressed that Pakistan will continue to respond “swiftly and strongly” in the exercise of its right to self-defense, while raising the issue in bilateral, regional and multilateral forums, including the UN Security Council’s anti-terrorism mechanisms.
The development highlights rising regional tensions, with Islamabad increasingly wary of the strategic convergence between India and Israel and the evolving security situation along its western border.
