Pak army chief justifies terror groups' ops in J&K

Islamabad: Pakistan Army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir on Saturday backed terror groups operating in Jammu and Kashmir, justifying their actions (what India has described as terrorism) as a “legitimate struggle”.

Addressing a graduating parade at the Pakistan Naval Academy in Karachi, Munir explained that Islamabad would even continue providing political, diplomatic, and moral support to the Kashmiri people.

Munir's inflammatory comments come just a day before the Indian Army stopped an infiltration attempt by Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) militants from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) at the Keri sector of Rajouri, Jammu and Kashmir—two days before the annual Amarnath Yatra.

A group of heavily armed militants were challenged, leading to a gunfight that killed at least two of them. A local guide, arrested after suspicion of having assisted them, is now being questioned by security agencies.

Munir, who is no stranger to spreading inflammatory anti-India rhetoric, also declared in his speech that India had “twice undertaken acts of unprovoked aggression against Pakistan”, and the onus of any future escalation would “squarely lie with the aggressor”. “Pakistan, despite grave provocations, acted with restraint and maturity, and demonstrated its commitment to regional peace and stability, which has led to Pakistan’s role as a net regional stabiliser,” Munir said.