India calls Pakistan's lies on surgical strikes

Slams Pak media report which allege that Foreign Secy S. Jaishankar told German envoy that India’s surgical strikes were a 'bluff'.

New Delhi:

India on Friday described as “completely concocted and baseless” a Pakistani media report which had alleged that German Ambassador in New Delhi Dr. Martin Ney had been told by Indian Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar that India’s surgical strikes were a “bluff”.

In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said, “The News International Pakistan’s story titled Indian Foreign Secretary admits surgical strikes was a bluff’ is completely concocted and baseless. The German Ambassador Dr. Martin Ney was in the group of foreign envoys briefed by the Foreign Secretary on September 29 on the surgical strikes. They have had no further conversation since on this subject”.

The Pakistani media report claimed that in a meeting with German Ambassador, Indian Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar had said that there was no 'surgical strike' undertaken by the Indian army on terror launch pads in PoK.

The report claimed that this information was passed on by the Senior Desk Officer of AfPak Division, Ms Simone Stemmler to the Minister Political Rukhsana Afzal at Pakistan’s Berlin embassy during a formal meeting on India-Pakistan stand-off.

The report further stated that German officials Ms Karen Goebels and Mr Jens Wagner were also present at the meeting in Berlin, where the Pakistan officials were conveyed this information.

It may be recalled that Jaishankar had briefed foreign envoys from 25 countries on India’s surgical strikes last month. The MEA’s statement makes it clear that there was no separate meeting or phone conversation on this matter subsequently between Jaishankar and the German Ambassador in New Delhi.

Pakistan has been officially denying that surgical strikes that were conducted by India. Pakistani High Commissioner in New Delhi, Abdul Basit, also reiterated Pak’s stand in a string of interviews given to media publications. The Pakistan army and ISI have been under enormous pressure and are also denying the surgical strikes.