Pakistan claims India planning military action amid Lok Sabha polls

Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi made a startling claim at a press conference in Multan today that India was planning a new military action against Pakistan in the third week of April and called on the international community to stop India from doing the same.

He said the attack could take place between April 16 and April 20, reported Dawn, the same time that polling for the second phase is scheduled to begin in India’s seven-phase Lok Sabha election.

This is especially significant as the Narendra Modi government finds itself on the ropes as its performance in the last five years have been singularly poor on every front. That is why the BJP has been solely relying on jingoistic nationalism to win the national elections, just four days away.

But such claims, stating that they have planned military strikes on Pakistan when polls are on-going, give an altogether different dimension to the Pakistan Foreign Minister’s statement.

Qureshi said that Islamabad had “reliable intelligence that India is devising a new plan".

"I am speaking responsibly, I hold a position of responsibility, and I know the words I utter will be picked up by the international media," Dawn quoted him.

The Pakistan Foreign Minister reportedly said, "A new mishap could be staged in Kashmir, just like Pulwama. And its purpose will be to justify their offensive against Pakistan and to increase diplomatic pressure against Islamabad," according to Dawn.

He further added that Pakistan has already briefed the United Nations Security Council's P5 (permanent five) member nations about the issue and stated Pakistan's apprehensions.