France recognises India's legitimacy to ensure its security against cross-border terrorism

Condemning the appalling attack against the Indian security forces in Pulwama on February 14, France on Tuesday said that Pakistan should put to an end the terror activities from its territory. “France recognises India’s legitimacy to ensure its security against cross-border terrorism and asks Pakistan to put an end to the operations of terrorist groups established on its territory,” it said in a statement.

“France, which stands alongside India in the fight against terrorism in all its forms, is fully engaged in mobilising the international community to punish the terrorists responsible for this attack (Pulwama) and to block their financing networks,” the statement added.

France also asked India and Pakistan to exercise restraint to avert any risk of military escalation and to preserve strategic stability in the region. “The resumption of bilateral dialogue between Islamabad and New Delhi is necessary in order to start peaceful settlement of differences,” it reads.

Early on Tuesday, India bombed and destroyed Jaish-e-Mohammed's (JeM) biggest training camp in Balakot in Pakistan's restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, about 80-km from the Line of Control (LoC), killing a "very large number" of terrorists, trainers and senior commanders, officials said in New Delhi.

The air strikes came 12 days after the JeM carried out a suicide attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district that killed 40 CRPF soldiers.

At a hurriedly called special meeting of the National Security Committee (NSC) hours after India's air strikes inside Pakistan, Prime Minister Imran Khan asked the armed forces and the people of his country to remain prepared for "all eventualities."