No space for war with India, says Pakistan Army

Pakistan Army has said that there is “no space” for any war with India as both are nuclear powers but warned that its desire for peace should not be mistaken for weakness.

"We are two nuclear powers, and there is no space for war," said Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor, the Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) - the media wing of the army, while addressing a press conference in Islamabad on Monday.

Accusing India of carrying out 1,077 ceasefire violations since the beginning of 2018, Ghafoor said, "Our defence, our desire for peace, should not be mistaken for weakness... War happens when diplomacy fails".

Ghafoor said that the two sides remained in touch with each other over bilateral issues but India backed out of holding talks.

"Indians have to realise and understand where they want to go (in the future)," he said.

Ghafoor also said had not responded to Indian firing, which followed a ceasefire agreement by the two countries' militaries last week but was "compelled" to respond only when civilians were targeted. Pakistan wants to respect the truce agreement, he said. 

Local administration officials in Pakistan claims, an elderly woman and a minor girl were killed and 24 others, including four children and eight women, injured in mortar shelling by the Indian forces on villages along the Working Boundary yesterday.

On the Indian side, two BSF personnel were killed and ten civilians, including a woman, suffered critical injuries after Pakistani troops resorted to unprovoked and indiscriminate firing along the International Border  in Jammu and Kashmir's Akhnoor sector on Sunday, according to reports.

Both the personnel, including an Assistant Sub-Inspector, were rushed to a nearby hospital but later succumbed to injuries while undergoing treatment.

(With PTI inputs)