Pahalgam attack: Pakistan challenges India to present evidence of its alleged involvement

Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has challenged India to present evidence, if it had any, of Pakistan's alleged involvement in a deadly attack in occupied Kashmir.

"India has time and again played the blame game and if there is proof of Pakistan's involvement [in Pahalgam], please share it with us and the world," Dar said at a press briefing after a high-level meeting of the National Security Committee, reports Dawn.

The attack took place in Pahalgam, a tourist hotspot in occupied Kashmir that draws thousands of visitors every summer. Gunmen opened fire on visitors, killing at least 26 people — all men from across India except one from Nepal — and injuring 17 others. It was the region's deadliest attack on civilians since 2000. A hitherto unknown group, named by several Indian outlets as 'The Resistance Front', is said to have claimed responsibility for the attack.

A day ago, India shut borders, downgraded diplomatic ties and, in an unprecedented move, unilaterally announced the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) over what the Bharatiya Janata Party government and media claimed — without offering any specific or concrete evidence about their allegations against Pakistan — were "cross-border linkages of the terrorist attack".

In his press conference, FM Dar rattled off the NSC's decisions and said Pakistan had responded in kind to the Indian announcements. He was seated beside Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar and Attorney General of Pakistan (AGP) Mansoor Awan.

Dar said Pakistan had noted the arrival of some "foreign nationals" in Srinagar who were under monitoring by intelligence agencies.

"We know that Indian intelligence is supporting them and the foreigners are trying to export IEDs (improvised explosive devices). You can imagine where they are trying to export them," he said, adding that Pakistan's armed forces were ready to respond to any challenge.

"We are prepared in regard to defence. If anyone tries to attempt any adventure, then they've tried in the past as well [and failed] so this time around it will be even worse for them."

Asif said that although India had not named Pakistan directly for the incident, the Indian media and other stakeholders were blaming the country.

"[Narendra] Modi is the only world leader who was denied a visa by the US and it was on the grounds of terrorism," Asif said. "We have categorically condemned this [attack]. We condemn all forms of terrorism anywhere in the world without any hesitation, be it in India."

He said that without any hesitation, Pakistan was the greatest victim of terrorism in the world.

"Terrorism is raging in Pakistan, both in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan," the defence minister said, alleging that sponsors and leaders of banned militant outfits, Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), "are sitting in India and they receive [medical] treatment there".

"This is not speculation, this is hard fact," he added.

Asif said terrorism was being exported to Pakistan, adding that whatever was emanating from Afghanistan or happening in Balochistan "clearly shows the footprints and fingerprints of India".

He said India had, as a state, "exported terrorism" to Canada and the United States with leaders from both countries objecting to the premise.

"Thank God, there are no such allegations against Pakistan," Asif added.

The defence minister said that if India were to officially name Pakistan in the backdrop of the Pahalgam incident, the country would give a "befitting response".

"Neither India nor the international community should have any doubt about it," he said, adding that Pakistan had the complete right to defend itself.

Citing the example of Indian spy Kulbhushan Sudhir Jadhav, who was arrested in Pakistan in 2016, Asif said that there were a series of incidents in the past 15 to 20 years which proved that India played a part in terrorism in Pakistan.

He said that groups like the TTP and the BLA were proxies of India who had declared war on Pakistan. "India is already fighting a low-intensity war through terrorists against us," he said.

"If they want to ramp up its scale, then we are ready for that, let no one have any doubt about it.

"We are not going to bow to any international pressure when it comes to our soil and security."

Asif said Pakistan's unity would be "on full display on the international scene" if the propaganda that was being peddled by India over the last few days took on another form.

"India will get to know how we can respond," he said.

"India is preparing for war and terrorist attacks in Pakistani cities. I want to say that we are ready for a response and it will be tit-for-tat if our citizens are endangered. Indian citizens will not remain safe. If even one citizen is harmed in an Indian-perpetrated/orchestrated act, then we will make them pay through their noses."

Talking about the legal aspects of India's announcement, AGP Awan, an active member of the team that deals with the IWT, said that the treaty could not be suspended, let alone either party do it unilaterally.

"If the treaty is to be ended, then it would end by an agreement between the two countries," the AGP said.

"As far as the [Indian] statement is concerned, which is only a statement for now, if this escalates, then Pakistan, according to the treaty, has all legal rights," he said, adding that Pakistan would approach any forum related to the treaty to present its case.

At this, FM Dar added that when the Indian external foreign secretary issued the statement, the charge d'affaires at the Pakistani High Commission in India was summoned and handed over a demarche.

"In that demarche, there was everything that they had decided. Interestingly, it does not mention the IWT," he said.

Dar said the Foreign Office would summon Indian officials and issue a demarche today to inform them of the NSC's decisions. "Looking at these conditions, my visits to Bangladesh and Kabul have been delayed so that we can prepare a diplomatic response," he added.

Responding to a question regarding what actions Pakistan would take to India's escalations, FM Dar said Pakistan would mirror India.

"This is tit-for-tat […] whatever they do, we will do to them," Dar said.

In response to a question as to what Pakistan would do in response if India were to stop the water, Dar said that it would be tantamount to an "act of war".

"Whatever actions we have to take, we are prepared for that, including abeyance of bilateral agreements like the Simla Agreement," he said.

In response to a question about whether China would help Pakistan, FM Dar said that Pakistan did not need any help.

"We are taking our friends in confidence. However, we are not dependent on someone to help us.

"Pakistan is prepared in every way," Dar said, adding that Pakistan always talked about peace and promoted it at multilateral forums.

Law minister Tarar said the provisions for suspension did not exist in the IWT. "India should not blame Pakistan for its security lapses and evade responsibility without any tangible and admissible evidence."

Meanwhile, the information minister said that the response from India was "childish and immature".

"Legally, they did not read the document, nor did they try to find the legal grounds," the minister said, adding that he saw hollow threats yesterday from the Indian side.

"The entire world knows this with clarity that India has been using terrorism to victimise itself," he said.

"We are a frontline state against terrorism. You have been exposed. The entire world knows that you sponsor terrorism in Pakistan […] now you are using it for your political advantage," he said.