Pakistan Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa makes remark on Jammu and Kashmir, India responds

Pakistan Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa has said that Pakistan and India must resolve the Jammu and Kashmir issue in a "dignified and peaceful manner". Responding to this, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday asserted that India "desires normal neighbourly relations with Pakistan in an environment free of terror, hostility and violence". 

MEA Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava, "India desires normal neighbourly relations with Pakistan in an environment free of terror, hostility and violence. The onus is on Pakistan to create such an environment."

On Tuesday, General Bajwa had said, "Pakistan and India must resolve the longstanding issue of Jammu and Kashmir in a dignified and peaceful manner as per the aspirations of people of Jammu and Kashmir..."

He was addressing the graduation ceremony at the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) Asghar Khan Academy in Risalpur in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, according to Pakistan Army. Pakistan is a peace-loving country that has rendered great sacrifices for regional and global peace, he said.

"We stand firmly committed to the ideal of mutual respect and peaceful co-existence. It is time to extend a hand of peace in all directions. However, we will not allow anybody or any entity to misinterpret our desire for peace as a sign of weakness," Bajwa had said.

In December 2020, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan met Pakistan Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa and discussed Jammu and Kashmir, an internal matter of India. According to a Pakistani media report, the meeting on December 24 "expressed concern over...Jammu & Kashmir".

According to news agency PTI, General Bajwa, was accompanied by Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Lt Gen Faiz Hamid, also discussed the external security situation, the Prime Minister's Office said in a statement.

Dawn reported that they also levelled false allegation of ceasefire violations and frequent "provocative measures" along the Line of Control against India. "It was resolved that defence of the motherland will be ensured with the support of the entire nation at all cost," the statement said.

The meeting was held as Opposition parties in Pakistan launched the second phase of its protests on December 23 with a rally in Mardan city of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa to oust the Khan government.