KEY POINTS
- Pakistan slams Indian narrative after Pahalgam incident
- Analysts warn these staged provocations risk nuclear escalation while undermining regional peace
ISLAMABAD: The tragic killing of 26 tourists by gunmen at the scenic resort of Pahalgam in Indian illegally occupied Jammu & Kashmir has been condemned not only across India and Pakistan but also around the world.
Yet, the Pahalgam incident appears to follow a familiar pattern in India’s narrative playbook—another entry in the long saga of false flag operations. Once again, accusations were directed at Pakistan, even in the absence of any evidence, resounding a recurring theme in the region’s tense and troubled history.
As the news of the Pahalgam attack emerged, Indian television screens remained preoccupied with visuals from US Vice President JD Vance’s address in Jaipur and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Saudi Arabia.
Amid the silence from official sources and with no group claiming responsibility, Indian retired military officers and security analysts swiftly filled the vacuum—pointing fingers at Pakistan and its army without presenting any sort of proof.
Pakistan on Wednesday expressed condolences to the victims and families of the Pahalgam incident.
In a statement, Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) spokesperson, while responding to media queries concerning the incident in Anantnag District of the IIOJK, stated: “We are concerned at the loss of tourists’ lives in an incident in Anantnag district of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir. We extend our condolences to the near ones of the deceased and wish the injured a speedy recovery.”
Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has categorically said that “Pakistan has nothing to do with the Pahalgam incident,” stressing that “civilians must not become victims of such conflicts”. He said, “We don’t support terrorism anywhere”.
Levelling accusations against Pakistan is convenient for India, but we have already provided evidence of Indian involvement in terrorist activities, especially in Balochistan.”
Khawaja Asif said that India was trying to divert global attention from the ongoing unrest across several of its states, including Nagaland, Chhattisgarh, and Manipur.
The Defence Minister, while referring to the multiple insurgencies inside India, stated that India has been exploiting its minorities which is fuelling such activities. He said that India continues to blame Pakistan for its own internal failures.
Despite the absence of verified evidence, a chorus of outrage is growing louder on Indian news channels and social media, with anchors, defence pundits, and netizens alike demanding a forceful reply from New Delhi.
Speaking to WE News English, defence and security analysts in Pakistan voiced strong condemnation, asserting that the attack fits squarely within India’s broader hybrid warfare strategy.
According to analysts, it is a calculated move designed to tarnish Pakistan’s global image, distract India’s own populace from internal issues, and serve political ambitions. They emphasised that such orchestrated narratives are not new—India’s past, they argue, is steeped in similar campaigns of disinformation and blame-shifting.
They said India has repeatedly orchestrated false flag operations—ranging from the Ganga hijacking in 1971 to the Pulwama attack in 2019—as part of a broader strategy to vilify Pakistan, divert attention from internal crises, and serve political interests, especially under the BJP-led Modi regime.
India’s History of False Flag Operations Targeting Pakistan
Samjhauta Express Bombing (2007): A deadly blast claimed 68 lives. Initially pinned on Pakistan, later investigations unmasked Hindu extremists—among them, the Indian Army’s own Major Ramesh.
Mumbai Attacks (2008): A global stage was set to vilify Pakistan. In a shocking 2013 revelation, former CBI officer Satish Verma claimed it was a state-engineered drama to justify stricter counter-terror laws.
Kerala Tourists Attack – IOK (April 31, 2028): Just ahead of elections in Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan, tourists were targeted in Indian-occupied Kashmir—raising questions about the conveniently timed violence.
Pulwama Suicide Bombing (2019): Forty Indian soldiers lost their lives. Modi instantly pointed at Pakistan. Years later, a startling confession from the former IIOJK Governor exposed the event as a politically staged manoeuvre.
Rajouri Ambush (2023): Five Indian troops were killed while Modi was in full campaign mode. Analysts noted how the incident fuelled BJP’s polarizing anti-Pakistan and anti-Muslim rhetoric.
Pahalgam Incident (2025): Twenty-six tourists were killed. Coinciding with US Vice President JD Vance’s visit, the incident appears to be yet another ploy to frame Pakistan and draw international sympathy.
These recurring incidents paint a clear picture
India’s state apparatus has mastered the art of crafting a seamless narrative through orchestrated false flag operations. What’s even more striking is the setting—Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, a region under an iron-fisted security lockdown where one soldier stands watch for every seven civilians.
In such a hyper-militarised zone, how do these attacks continue to occur? The cracks in India’s narrative are glaring; its version of events stands feeble and exposed under the weight of undeniable facts.
It has become a familiar pattern—whenever a high-profile foreign dignitary visits India, a conveniently timed attack follows, with Pakistan swiftly cast as the villain. This time, during the US Vice President’s visit, India appears to have once again tried, and failed, to spin its propaganda wheel.
India’s intelligence agencies, seasoned in covert operations, and its media—ever-ready to amplify the state’s version—work in tandem to reinforce these narratives against Pakistan.
The recent attack on tourists in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir reeks of a baseless accusation aimed at Pakistan, conveniently masking India’s own internal security lapses.
Reports from international outlets suggest that a local Kashmiri resistance group has claimed responsibility, undermining India’s attempt to shift the blame across the border. With nearly 800,000 soldiers stationed in the valley, India’s inability to protect unarmed tourists is nothing short of an embarrassment.
Interestingly, the list of victims released by Indian authorities includes a Muslim individual named Syed Hussain Shah—directly undermining the widely circulated claim that the attackers singled out victims by asking them to recite the Kalima, shooting those who couldn’t comply.
This crucial detail exposes the hollowness of the narrative attempting to cloak the incident in a sectarian guise.
At a time when Pakistan has successfully dismantled banned terrorist groups like the BLA and Fitna-e-Khawarij, is pursuing stable ties with Afghanistan, and is regaining political footing—all while earning goodwill from global partners—India seems desperate to muddy the waters.
By stoking unrest through proxy groups and military deception, it hopes to distract and destabilise. But India forgets: Pakistan’s armed forces wear sacrifice as a badge of honour, standing firm against Hindutva extremism with unmatched resolve.
As for the Pahalgam incident, key facts suggest a different reality. This tourist haven lies not on the border but deep within Kashmir, nearly 400 kilometres from Pakistan. With layers of Indian military between, the idea of cross-border infiltration is implausible.
Given its location—two hours from Srinagar—it becomes increasingly likely that this was a local operation, whether carried out by indigenous resistance or elements sympathetic to the ruling party. One thing is certain: the truth lies far from the version being broadcast by India’s propaganda machine.
Experts Warn of Déjà Vu Politics After Pahalgam Incident
Dr. Munawwar Hussain from the American Study Centre at Quaid-i-Azam University remarked that India’s knee-jerk reaction of pointing fingers at Pakistan after the Pahalgam incident is nothing new—it’s a worn-out pattern, a script we’ve seen too many times.
It almost seems like they’re eager for a sequel to the “Abhinandan episode”—perhaps they’re missing that infamous cup of Pakistani tea.
He noted that India’s attempt to scapegoat Pakistan fell flat this time, as evident in the silence of global leaders like Donald Trump and JD Vance, who condemned the violence without echoing India’s narrative.
According to Dr. Munawwar, it looks like India is trying to orchestrate another October 7-style incident to stir up nationalist sentiment.
With Modi’s political grip slipping, such provocations appear to be a desperate bid to regain lost ground. Internationally, India stands increasingly isolated, its espionage scandals tarnishing its reputation.
Dr. Munawwar stressed that Pakistan must respond with clarity and strength—rally global stakeholders, expose India’s disinformation tactics, and build a compelling, fact-based counter-narrative.
Talking to WE News English, Prof. Dr. Raja Qaiser Ahmed from the School of Politics and International Relations (SPIR), Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad said that, the incident in Pahalgam is deeply tragic, and the immediate reflex to assign blame without a transparent investigation does little to serve justice or regional peace.
These recurring narratives often obscure deeper geopolitical dynamics and distract from the need for dialogue and de-escalation.
Each time violence erupts in Kashmir, it is met not with introspection but with instinctive accusations—perpetuating a cycle where the truth is often the first casualty. Without impartial investigation and acknowledgement of internal complexities, blame games only serve to harden positions and delay peace.
Prof. Ilhan Niaz from Quad-i-Azam University Islamabad told WE News English that, “the Modi government is under intense public pressure to respond against Pakistan. Any meaningful response carries with it a high risk of failure for India and further escalation should Pakistan carry out a proportionate retaliation.
Pakistan’s former Foreign Secretary Jalil Abbas Jilani, called out Indian media’s latest barrage of propaganda as “a carefully choreographed false flag performance”—a trademark tactic in India’s playbook, he claimed. “Fabrication and finger-pointing seem to replace investigation whenever an incident like Pahalgam occurs,” he noted.
Instead of rushing to accuse Pakistan, Jilani urged, India should commit to a credible, transparent investigation. Jilani didn’t stop there—he alleged that Indian intelligence agencies may, in fact, be orchestrating such incidents themselves.
He pointed to mounting international evidence of India’s involvement in transnational targeted killings, from Canada and the US to right across Pakistan’s borders.
He emphasised that the world must wake up to the repetitive nature of India’s blame game, which is increasingly losing credibility on the global stage.
Weighing in with a strong warning, former Pakistani High Commissioner to India, Abdul Basit, took to X (formerly Twitter), declaring: “Pakistan is more than ready. Should India attempt any act of cowardice, the response this time will be swift—and devastating.”
PPP leader and Senator Sherry Rehman also condemned the Pahalgam incident, saying, “It’s almost muscle memory now—India reflexively points the finger at Pakistan, even before the facts emerge.” In a tweet, she remarked, “India has consistently failed to cover up its own shortcomings.”
She cautioned that India’s far-right factions are likely to hijack the narrative, calling for Pakistan’s destruction without a shred of verification.
