Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, May 10: In a strong rebuttal to a Pakistan Army official’s remark on Indian citizens criticising their own government, India on Friday underlined that such dissent reflects the vibrancy of a true democracy a concept unfamiliar to Islamabad’s military-led establishment.
Lieutenant general Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, head of Pakistan Army’s media wing ISPR, had cited public criticism by Indian politicians and social media users as a sign of discontent within India. Responding to this, foreign secretary Vikram Misri said, “It may be a surprise to Pakistan to see citizens criticising their own government. That is the hallmark of any open and functioning democracy. Pakistan’s unfamiliarity with that should not be surprising.”
He noted that unlike India’s robust democratic traditions, Pakistan has a history marked by military coups and decades of army rule despite being constitutionally a democracy.
The remarks came on a day when India intensified its military response to recent Pakistani provocations, including drone attacks across the western front. Indian Air Force fighter jets conducted precision airstrikes on key Pakistani military installations, including Air Force bases at Rafiqui, Murid, Chaklala and Rahim Yar Khan.
Wing Commander Vyomika Singh, speaking at the same briefing, said Pakistani forces used drones, loitering munitions, and fighter jets to strike Indian civilian and military locations. “Indian armed forces successfully neutralised most of these threats. Limited damage occurred at Indian airbases in Udhampur, Pathankot, Adampur and Bhuj,” she said.
She added that India’s response was swift, calibrated and targeted, focusing on military infrastructure like radar stations, command centres and ammunition depots. “Our strikes ensured minimum collateral damage while neutralising Pakistan's military assets,” she said, listing additional targets at Sukkur, Chunia, Pasrur and the Sialkot aviation base.
India has maintained that it reserves the right to defend its sovereignty and will not tolerate acts of cross-border aggression.