ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday invited the United Kingdom to join a transparent, credible and neutral international investigation into the attack on tourists in the Pahalgam area of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).
India swiftly blamed Pakistan for the attack without presenting any credible evidence, sparking a series of heated threats and diplomatic tit-for-tat measures. Pakistan condemned the attack and strongly rejected the Indian government’s accusations.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif made the invitation during his meeting with UK High Commissioner to Pakistan Jane Marriott at the Prime Minister’s House.
During the meeting, the Prime Minister shared Pakistan’s perspective on the prevailing situation in South Asia, in the aftermath of the Pahalgam incident, the Prime Minister House said in a press release.
While rejecting India’s attempts to link Pakistan to the incident without providing any evidence, the Prime Minister reiterated his offer for a transparent, credible and neutral international investigation into the incident and invited the UK to join it.
The Prime Minister noted that with the support of friendly countries, including the UK, his government’s foremost priority remained to advance the economic growth and development of the country, and that Pakistan would never take any action that could imperil regional peace and security.
The Prime Minister urged the UK, which enjoyed good relations with both Pakistan and India, to play its part in de-escalating the situation.
The British High Commissioner thanked the Prime Minister for sharing Pakistan’s position and said that the UK would work closely with Pakistan and India to maintain regional peace and security.
The Pahalgam incident had claimed 26 lives. A day after the Pahalgam incident on 23 April, India’s Cabinet Committee on Security approved measures including the closure of the Wagah-Attari border crossing and the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty.
Islamabad also warned that any attempt by India to stop or divert the Indus River waters would be considered an “act of war”.
According to Indian media reports on Monday, India has started to block the flow of water towards Pakistan through the Baglihar Dam.
As a result of this Indian action, the flow of water in the Chenab River is continuously decreasing.
According to the Irrigation Department, water inflow at Head Marala on the Chenab River was 87,000 cusecs yesterday, which has now dropped to only 10,800 cusecs.
Moreover, according to Indian media, India is preparing to block water at the Kishanganga Dam in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) as the next step, which could lead to a reduction in water flow in the Jhelum River.
Meanwhile, Chair of Pakistan’s Senate Standing Committee on Climate Change and Environment Sherry Rehman has strongly condemned India’s act of blocking Pakistan’s water through the Baglihar Dam.
“After the exposure of false allegations against Pakistan following the Pahalgam incident, the Modi government has now turned to water aggression,” said Sherry Rehman, who has also served as Pakistan’s minister for climate change.
