ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has accused India of sponsoring terrorism within its borders and warned of a befitting response to any misadventure, as tensions continue to escalate between the two nuclear-armed neighbours following the Pahalgam incident in Indian-Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).
Addressing foreign media representatives in Islamabad on Sunday, Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said that Pakistan has the capability and resolve to respond to any Indian aggression with full force, as demonstrated in the past.
“India should not mistake our words for weakness,” the minister said, recalling the Pulwama incident of February 2019 when, he said, Pakistan exercised restraint but responded effectively, leaving India to regret its actions.
Tarar criticised India for its consistent failure to condemn terrorist incidents within Pakistan, such as the recent attack on the Jaffar Express.
He claimed that India is directly involved in state-sponsored terrorism in Pakistan and other countries, pointing to transnational assassinations of Sikh activists, which have been publicly acknowledged by the host countries where these incidents occurred.
“There is credible and irrefutable evidence of India’s funding, harbouring, and support of terrorist activities in Balochistan,” he stated.
Tarar also referred to the attack on the Pakistani High Commission in London, describing it as a manifestation of India’s extremist ideology.
“It is India’s extremist ideology which prompts its people to attack our foreign missions,” Tarar said.
Referring to the Pahalgam attack, where at least 26 people were killed, Attaullah Tarar said India had pre-conceived notions about the incident, maybe the purpose was to pin the blame on Pakistan.
He said blaming Pakistan for the Pahalgam incident is a distraction, as Pakistan is making record successes in the war against terrorism with its security forces successfully foiling terror attempts and killing terrorists every other day.
He said all allegations by India against Pakistan make no sense. He said the Pahalgam area is more than 150 km away from the Line of Control, and India has not provided any single evidence to corroborate its arguments.
The Minister said Pakistan has called for an independent probe into the incident. “This is testimony to the fact that our hands are clean,” Tarar said.
“How can a country like Pakistan, which is on the frontlines in the fight against terrorism, be accused of sponsoring such attacks?” he questioned, reaffirming that Pakistan remains a responsible member of the international community, with strong diplomatic relations globally and a longstanding commitment to promoting peace.
The Minister, while reaffirming the national pledge to continue the war against terrorism, said Pakistan always has and will continue to promote global peace and security.
He highlighted that Pakistan is a responsible member of the UN Security Council, has very cordial ties with all its neighbours and is an important member of many global and regional alliances and has always promoted peace in the world.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said that Pakistan’s armed forces are fully prepared to defend the nation against any Indian misadventure.
Speaking to media persons in Lahore on Sunday, Naqvi said Pakistan will continue to brief the international community about India’s “negative propaganda” following the Pahalgam incident.
“Any misadventure by India will be met with a strong and befitting response,” he said.
Naqvi also lauded the successful operations carried out by Pakistan’s security forces against terrorists in North Waziristan, near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, warning that any infiltration attempts would be met with a similarly robust reaction.
