Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday said the country was committed to discouraging a regional arms race. Inaugurating the ninth edition of the International Defence Exhibition and Seminar in Karachi, Sharif said the country had achieved self-reliance in defence production and was committed to promoting “the motto of arms for peace”, PTI reported.

Islamabad was also exploring “the way forward” to ensure peace and stability in South Asia, Sharif said. “Our defence products have made their mark in many countries of the world,” the prime minister added. Ninety delegations from 43 countries are expected to attend the exhibition, with the defence industries of China, Russia and Turkey participating in it, according to Dawn.

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Sharif’s remarks come even as Pakistan’s relations with India continue to deteriorate following the Indian Army’s surgical strikes along the Line of Control. On Tuesday, three Indian Army soldiers were killed by Pakistani commandos in the Machhal area of Jammu and Kashmir. The body of one of the soldiers was mutilated. This comes a day after Border Security Force head constable Rai Singh succumbed to his injuries sustained during cross-border firing by Pakistani troops in the Rajouri district of the state.

On Monday, Pakistan said that it had handed over a dossier on alleged ceasefire violations carried out by India along the LoC to the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan. Foreign office spokesperson Nafees Zakaria said representatives of the international organisation were called to the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi to hand over the dossier.

The Indian Army on November 17 denied Pakistan’s claim that 11 Indian soldiers had been killed along the LoC on November 14, the same day Islamabad had alleged that seven Pakistani soldiers had died in cross-border firing. The Army’s Northern Command said there had been no casualties on the Indian side during firing by Pakistan on November 14,15 and 16, calling the neighbouring country’s claim false.