Pak won't tolerate violation of its territorial integrity; reserves right to self-defence: Alvi

Pakistan President Arif Alvi on Friday said his country would not tolerate any violation of its territorial integrity and reserves the right to self-defence.

Addressing the under training Pakistani Army officers at the Command and Staff College, Quetta, he said Pakistan was a peaceful and soverign country and sought good relations with all its neighbours, including India.

Alvi alleged that India was using the Pulwama attack as a pretext to escalate tensions.

He said Pakistan would not tolerate any violation of its territorial integrity and reserves the right to self-defence.

Pakistan armed forces are well prepared to give befitting response to any misadventure by India, he told the officers.

Tensions between India and Pakistan escalated after a suicide bomber of Jaish-e-Mohammed(JeM) killed 40 CRPF personnel in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district on February 14 this year.

India launched a counter-terror operation against a JeM training camp in Balakot. The next day, Pakistan Air Force retaliated and downed a MiG-21 in an aerial combat and captured its pilot, who was handed over to India on March 1.

Pakistan is a peaceful and sovereign country, desirous of having good relations with all its neighbours, including India, he said.

The President lauded the role and sacrifices of armed forces, law enforcement agencies and civil administration in addressing the challenges of lawlessness and terrorism.

He stated that despite facing several challenges Pakistan is now heading in the right direction.

Alvi said China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has the potential to change the fate of the region for the better.

The CPEC, which connects Gwadar Port in Balochistan with China's Xinjiang province, is the flagship project of Chinese President Xi Jinping's ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).