Pakistan President Arif Alvi on Friday said his country will not tolerate any violation of its territorial integrity and reserves the right to self defence, reported public broadcaster Radio Pakistan.

Alvi claimed the Pulwama attack was being used as pretext by India to escalate tension. Forty personnel of India’s Central Reserve Police Force were killed in the terror attack on February 14. The president made the remarks while addressing Army officers undergoing training at the Quetta Command and Staff College in Islamabad.

Alvi said Pakistan Armed Forces were prepared to give a “befitting response to any misadventure by India”. He said Pakistan is a peaceful and sovereign country hoping for good relations with all its neighbours, including India.

He also spoke about the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, saying it has the potential to change the fate of the region for better. He said Balochistan will gain from project, which would create employment opportunities for its youth.

India has publicly opposed the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, which is a part of China’s One Belt, One Road initiative, as it travels through the parts of Kashmir that are occupied by Pakistan