New Delhi, May 8 (UNI) India on Thursday termed as “a blatant lie” the Pakistani leadership’s claim that Indian armed forces had attacked the Neelum-Jhelum hydropower plant in POK and warned that if Islamabad is trying to make it a “pretext” for targeting Indian infrastructure then Pakistan will be entirely responsible for the consequences that will undoubtedly follow.

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, briefing the media on Operation Sindoor, also denied any contact between the National Security Advisors of India and Pakistan, as has been claimed by the Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar.

He said that besides the directions that were issued on April 23 by the Cabinet Committee on Security – on cutting down ties with Pakistan – “There are no further steps under consideration at this point of time.”

On the Pakistani claims that India had attacked the Neelum-Jhelum plant in Muzaffarabad, he said:

“This is an absolute and complete fabrication, and a blatant lie.”

“India has targeted only and only terrorist infrastructure.”

“I should note that if this kind of a claim is a pretext for targeting Indian infrastructure of a similar nature, Pakistan will be entirely responsible for the consequences that will undoubtedly follow.”

FS Misri also said that one thing that has to be kept in mind is that the attack of 22nd April in

Pahalgam “is the original escalation”, and India only responded to it through Operation Sindoor.

He also mentioned the LeT -linked terror group, The Resistance Front, which claimed responsibility for the Pahalgam attack.

He said that India had provided information to the UN 1267 Sanctions Monitoring Committee about the TRF. And, India will be meeting with the UN team again very soon and will be providing an update to the information that has been provided earlier. But what is interesting he said is that it is Pakistan that opposed the mention of the TRF in a media release of the UNSC

“This was after the fact that the TRF claimed responsibility for this attack, not once but twice -within a few hours after the incident on the April 22, and then again on the morning of April 23.

“And it is perhaps only after the full gravity of the incident was realised by its masters and handlers across the border that it was managed to back off from this claim. Obviously that retraction doesn’t convince anybody,” the FS added.

“Our intention has not been to escalate matters. We are only responding to the original escalations. And our response has been targeted, precise, controlled and measured. No military targets have been selected. Only terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan has been hit,” he reiterated.

He termed Pakistan's calls for a joint investigation into the Pahalgam terror attack as “just delaying tactics”. “These are just stonewalling tactics.”

He cited the cooperation with Pakistan with regard to investigations into the 2008 Mumbai attacks and the 2016 Pathankot attacks.

Despite India providing extensive information and evidence related to the involvement of Pakistani terrorists in both the attacks, Islamabad has consistently stonewalled all efforts to move the investigation along.

“And in fact, there is reason to believe that Pakistan uses the evidence that we provide only to cover its tracks, and in fact defend the terrorists who we are looking for, and obstruct the path of investigation,” he added.

On the accusation by Pakistan that only civilians were killed in the May 7 strikes, he said that India carefully selected terrorist infrastructure, terrorist targets. Citing photos and videos of the funerals of the killed terrorists with the Pakistani army and ISI in attendance, he said in a jibe: “It's odd that the funerals of civilians are carried out with the coffins being draped in Pakistani flags, and state honors being accorded.



“As far as we are concerned, the individuals eliminated at these facilities were terrorists. Giving terrorists state funerals may be a practice in Pakistan. It doesn't seem to make much sense to us,” the FS said.

Rejecting Pakistan's assertions that India had deliberately attacked religious sites, he said: "This is completely false. I have made it clear that the targets were terrorist infrastructure, terrorist facilities, and locations connected clearly with incidents of cross-border terrorism into India. And it is in fact Pakistan that is misusing religious sites as a cover to in fact radicalize, direct, and indoctrinate and train terrorists."

He said that yesterday, Pakistan launched a targeted attack on the Sikh community in Jammu and Kashmir, hitting a Gurdwara in Poonch and the homes of Sikh community members which came under attack. Three individuals were killed in that particular attack.

“In fact, since yesterday morning, a total of 16 civilians have been killed, and 59 others have been injured in the attacks by Pakistan.”

"I would like to emphasize that the action (Operation Sindoor) was restrained; it was directed towards non-civilian, non-military targets; and confined to terrorist camps."



“And again, as we've been saying since yesterday, any further action by Pakistan, some of which we are seeing today is nothing but escalation by Pakistan now, once again, and will be responded to and is being responded to appropriately.”

On the Indus Waters Treaty, and the disinformation that has been raised in this regard, he said that over the last year and a half to two years, India has been in communication with Pakistan and sent them several notices requesting for negotiations to discuss a modification of the treaty.

“However, as has been made clear earlier as well, Pakistan has not responded to our request to enter into negotiations for a reassessment of the obligations under the treaty.

“Pakistan's persistent refusal to respond to our request to enter into Government-to-Government negotiations on the modification of the treaty is in a sense itself a violation of the treaty. And, therefore, India has taken the step of putting the treaty in abeyance until Pakistan abjures irrevocably its support for cross-border terrorism.”

UNI RN