KEY POINTS
- Pakistan accused India of involvement in acts of terrorism
- Naqvi said Pakistan possessed “concrete evidence” of RAW’s involvement in terrorism
- Pakistan ready to fully cooperate with any impartial investigation into the Pahalgam incident
- Naqvi claimed Indian-backed elements planted seven IEDs in Pakistan in recent days
- Naqvi accused RAW and the banned BLA of acting together to destabilise Pakistan
- Pakistan’s firm stance on resolving the Kashmir dispute as per UN resolutions
LAHORE, Pakistan: Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Saturday accused India of involvement in acts of terrorism and demanded an impartial international investigation into the recent Pahalgam incident and the Jaffar Express train attack.
Addressing a press conference in Lahore, Naqvi said that Pakistan possessed “concrete evidence” implicating India, particularly its intelligence agency RAW, in acts of terrorism in Pakistan.
He said India has not even condemned the Pahalgam incident and instead blamed Pakistan for perpetrating the massacre. He underscored the need for an impartial investigation at the global level.
The Interior Minister stressed that Pakistan was prepared to fully cooperate with any neutral party investigating the Pahalgam attack, which claimed the lives of 27 tourists, in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).
“Pakistan has a clear stance — we are a peaceful nation and reject terrorism in all its forms,” Naqvi said.
He firmly denied Pakistan’s involvement in the Pahalgam attack, describing Indian allegations as “baseless and premature,” and reiterated Islamabad’s demand for a neutral and transparent investigation.
The Interior Minister warned that if any attempt was made to suppress Pakistan’s rights, “every citizen will fight till the last breath” to defend the country’s sovereignty and independence.
He also accused India of trying to malign Pakistan internationally out of frustration over Pakistan’s economic progress. “India cannot digest Pakistan’s success and is trying to derail our momentum through orchestrated incidents,” Naqvi claimed.
Naqvi further revealed that in the past three days, Pakistani security agencies had seized seven improvised explosive devices (IEDs) planted by Indian-backed elements for attacks in various cities.
He said Pakistan’s intelligence agencies had successfully foiled India’s plans to create chaos through widespread blasts.
Highlighting the role of Indian intelligence, Naqvi claimed that RAW and the banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) were acting as “one force” to destabilise Pakistan.
He claimed that Pakistan had evidence of meetings between BLA leaders and Indian handlers in third countries.
“Whether it is Pahalgam or any other incident, we demand that the real culprits be exposed. Pakistan is ready for a neutral, transparent investigation and will provide all the evidence it has gathered,” he said.
Naqvi reaffirmed Pakistan’s principled position on the Kashmir dispute, stating that it must be resolved in accordance with United Nations resolutions.
“We will never step back from our position on Kashmir,” he said.
The Pahalgam attack has heightened tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbours. Following the attack, India took a series of unilateral measures, including suspending the Indus Waters Treaty, closing the main land border crossing with Pakistan, downgrading diplomatic ties, and withdrawing visas for Pakistani nationals.
In response, Pakistan expelled Indian diplomats and cancelled visas for Indian citizens, with the exception of Sikh pilgrims.
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also called for an impartial international investigation into the Pahalgam incident.
Addressing the passing-out parade at the Pakistan Military Academy in Kakul, the Prime Minister warned India against violating the Indus Waters Treaty, saying Pakistan would give a “befitting response” if its water rights were threatened.
PM Shehbaz emphasised that Pakistan had consistently condemned terrorism in all its forms and had been one of the worst-hit countries by the menace, losing more than 90,000 citizens and suffering economic losses of billions of dollars.
He reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to promoting global peace and security, highlighting the country’s role as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council.
