Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Thursday called on India to share evidence with the global community if Pakistan was involved in the Pahalgam attack.
Addressing a press conference alongside Defence Minister Khawaja Asif and other ministers, Dar stated that Pakistan possesses evidence and intelligence indicating that certain foreigners arrived in Srinagar carrying weapons.
“Indian intelligence agencies have kept these people in Srinagar,” he added.
The foreign minister asserted that Indian spy agencies were supporting the foreigners who “are trying to export IEDs (improvised explosive devices)”.
He affirmed that Pakistan’s armed forces stood ready to respond to any Indian aggression.
The press briefing occurred shortly after the top civil-military body — the National Security Committee (NSC) — issued a warning that any move by India to divert the flow of water lawfully belonging to Pakistan would be “considered an act of war”.
This development follows India’s unilateral decision to suspend the six-decade-old Indus Water Treaty and to take other measures against Pakistan in the aftermath of an attack on tourists in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).
The attack on Tuesday resulted in the deaths of 26 individuals — including one Nepali national — and the Indian government has blamed Pakistan for the attack, a claim vehemently denied by Islamabad, which also labeled it a “false flag operation”.
Recalling the capture of an Indian pilot by Pakistan in 2019, Dar asserted that India would receive a befitting response should it resort to any misadventure.
Dar also cautioned that Pakistan would reciprocate in kind if India withdrew security from Pakistan’s embassy in its country.
The deputy premier further warned that Pakistan has the option to suspend the Shimla agreement in response to India’s actions against the Indus Waters Treaty.
“We will take our friends into confidence… Pakistan is fully prepared,” he stated, adding that the World Bank would also be informed of India’s announcement.
He mentioned that the decisions made by the NSC would be conveyed to the Indian envoy as a demarche.
‘Certified Terrorist Ruler’
Speaking on the occasion, Defence Minister Asif strongly criticized Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, stating that a “certified terrorist ruler” like him was unprecedented in any country worldwide.
He alleged that leaders of militant outfits TTP and BLA were present in India, accusing New Delhi of sponsoring terrorism in Pakistan.
Asif also revealed intelligence suggesting that India was planning to carry out terror incidents in Pakistani cities.
“If our citizens are attacked then Indian citizens will not remain safe as well,” he warned.
“Let us make it clear that we are ready to deal with such terrorism,” he added.
