Germany denies Pak newspaper report on surgical strikes

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and the German embassy in New Delhi have denied a Pakistani newspaper report on a purported conversation between its ambassador Dr Martin Ney and foreign secretary S Jaishankar, in which the latter questioned the veracity of the surgical strikes by the Indian Army’s Special Forces across the Line of Control (LoC) on September 29.

The German Foreign Office in Berlin has sought a clarification about the report from the Pakistan embassy. The report attributed the news to Rukhsana Afzal, minister (political), in the Pakistan mission in Germany.

“The report in News International Pakistan is baseless and without any truth,” said German embassy here.

The Pakistani daily reported that India's foreign secretary had “admitted” to the German ambassador in a recent meeting that the Indian Army did not carry out the surgical strikes. The report claimed that the German authorities shared this information with the Pakistan embassy officials in Berlin. The German Foreign Office in Berlin also issued a statement calling the report a “bluff”. It said the statement attributed to German Foreign Office was unfounded and without truth. “The German Foreign Office has asked the Pakistan embassy for clarification,” the statement added.

The report also claimed that German authorities, during a recent official meeting with Pakistan embassy officials in Berlin, informed the Pakistan mission about conversation the between foreign secretary and the German ambassador.

German authorities reportedly told this to Rukhsana Afzal, when she met senior desk officer of AfPak division, Simone Stemmler, and Karen Goebels and Jens Wagner from the German foreign ministry, the report said. Simmone confided with the Pakistani diplomat that during a formal meeting between the German ambassador to India and the foreign secretary on the ongoing India-Pakistan stand-off, the envoy was told that there was no surgical strike by the Indian Army inside Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

MEA spokesperson Vikas Swarup described the report as completely concocted and baseless. He said that the German ambassador was among a group of envoys briefed by the foreign secretary on September 29 on the surgical strikes. “They have had no further conversation since on this subject,” he said.

Immediately after the strikes, the German envoy supported the Indian contention and defended its right to hunt terrorists across the borders. Dr. Ney said that under international law, every state has the legal obligation to make sure that no terrorism emanates from the territory it controls and also every state has the right to defend itself against international terrorism. He said that Germany stands with India as it has a strategic and ongoing bilateral cooperation on counterterrorism.