India has firmly rejected Pakistan’s allegations of civilian casualties following recent military engagements across Jammu and Kashmir, stating that those killed were not innocent civilians but confirmed terrorists involved in hostile activities. At a press briefing on Thursday, May 8, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri condemned Pakistan’s actions and highlighted the persistent threat posed by state-supported terrorism emanating from across the border.
“It’s also odd that funerals of civilians are being carried out with coffins wrapped in their national flag, and state honours are being accorded. The individuals eliminated at these facilities were terrorists. Giving state funerals to terrorists may be a practice in Pakistan, but it doesn’t seem to make much sense to us,” said Foreign Secretary Misri.
He added, “Yesterday, Pakistan launched a targeted attack on the Sikh community of J&K- hitting a gurdwara in Poonch and hitting the Sikh community members, who came under attack. Three individuals were killed in the attacks… A total of 16 civilians have been killed in Poonch and several others have been injured.”
Misri’s remarks followed renewed claims from Islamabad that Indian strikes had resulted in civilian deaths. Citing past admissions by Pakistani leaders, including the Defence Minister and a former Foreign Minister, Misri pointed to Pakistan’s well-documented ties with terrorist groups operating in the region. He recalled the presence of Osama Bin Laden in Pakistan and the ongoing protection offered to several UN-designated terrorists as evidence of Islamabad’s duplicity.
“Pakistan’s reputation as the epicentre of global terrorism is rooted in a number of instances… I don’t need to remind where Osama Bin Laden was found and who called him a martyr…Pakistan is also home to a large number of UN proscribed terrorists and also to terrorists proscribed by many countries…You must have seen in the last few days, their Defence minister and former foreign minister accepted their country’s involvement with such terror groups,” Misri further said.
The situation escalated further when a targeted Pakistani attack struck a Sikh religious site – a Gurdwara in Poonch – killing three people and injuring several others. Authorities in Jammu and Kashmir confirmed that those killed in the wider Poonch area, where the civilian death toll now stands at 16, were individuals engaged in terrorist activity – not innocent civilians as claimed by Pakistan.
India has responded to Pakistan’s ceasefire violations and cross-border provocations with what it describes as “measured and precise” military action. “No military or civilian infrastructure was targeted. Our operations were solely directed at terrorist bases within Pakistan,” Foreign Secretary Misri stated.
Rejecting Pakistan’s attempts to portray its actions as defensive and its casualties as civilian, Indian officials reiterated that their country’s actions remain rooted in self-defence and international law, with the singular aim of dismantling terror networks threatening regional peace.
