ISLAMABAD, APR 30: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Wednesday warned that the peace and stability of the South Asian region is under serious threat due to “politically motivated and provocative actions” by India following the Pahalgam attack in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).
Addressing a press briefing along with Director-General (DG) Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, Dar said the objective of the interaction was to share Pakistan’s concerns over India’s irresponsible statements and destabilising conduct in the wake of the April 22 incident.
“Targeting innocent civilians is condemnable and deplorable, no matter where it happens,” Dar said, adding that Pakistan had expressed condolences over the loss of lives in the Pahalgam attack. “As a victim of terrorism, Pakistan understands the pain of those affected better than most,” he stated.
Dar noted that Pakistan, as a member of the United Nations Security Council, constructively engaged with other members on the UNSC press statement issued on the Pahalgam incident, which condemned the attack in the strongest possible terms.
Criticising New Delhi, the foreign minister said India continues to glorify its assassination campaigns and state-sponsored terrorism in Pakistan and beyond.
“No other country has suffered as much from terrorism as Pakistan,” he said, citing over 80,000 lives lost and economic losses amounting to more than $150 billion. Including indirect impacts, he said, total losses could approach $500 billion.
He added that since April 22, Pakistan has been actively engaging with the international community on the issue. “The Foreign Office, myself, and the Prime Minister have reached out to at least a dozen foreign ministers and deputy premiers to explain the gravity of the situation,” Dar added.
Furthermore, he said Pakistan has been a victim of terrorism orchestrated, planned, and sponsored by India, adding that the sacrifices made by Pakistan’s law enforcement agencies and citizens have significantly contributed to regional peace and stability.
Dar termed the attempt to associate Pakistan with the incident “baseless and irresponsible.”
“In every such incident, India creates deliberate hype — a choreographed pattern that lacks evidence,” he said. “It is unfortunate that India continues to weaponise unsubstantiated allegations as part of its disinformation strategy to serve narrow political ends.”
Dar stated that this was not the first time New Delhi had resorted to such tactics. “This is now a familiar template aimed at diverting global attention from India’s security lapses in IIOJK, its failure to suppress the Kashmiri people’s legitimate demand for self-determination, and its continued state-led oppression in the occupied territory,” he added.
The presser comes as the two nuclear-armed neighbours are experiencing a period of heightened tensions since the April 22 attack on tourists in the scenic resort town, in which at least 26 people were killed.
New Delhi linked Islamabad to the attack without offering any evidence and took a flurry of punitive measures to downgrade ties, including suspending the Indus Waters Treaty, revoking visas of Pakistanis, and closing Wagah-Attari border crossing among others.
Islamabad, in response, ordered the expulsion of Indian diplomats and military advisers, cancelling visas for Indian nationals, with the exception of Sikh pilgrims, and closing the main border crossing from its side.
Pakistan also denies its involvement in the attack and offered to take part in a credible and transparent investigation.
With Defence Minister Khawaja Asif warning that the escalation could escalate into an “all-out war”, the United Nations has urged Pakistan and India to show “maximum restraint” to ensure that the situation and the developments do not deteriorate any further.
Meanwhile, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar said that Pakistan has credible intelligence reports regarding military action by India in the next 24 to 36 hours.
“Pakistan has credible intelligence that India intends to carry out military action against Pakistan in the next 24-36 hours on the pretext of baseless and concocted allegations of involvement in the Pahalgam incident,” Tarar said in a video statement issued late Tuesday.
A day earlier, the Pakistan Army shot down two Indian quadcopter drones near the Line of Control (LoC) in Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
‘Irrefutable evidence’
Briefing the media a day earlier, DG ISPR presented “irrefutable” evidence of Indian-sponsored terrorism in Pakistan, days after New Delhi accused Islamabad of the Pahalgam attack in IIOJK.
“India is involved in state-sponsored cross-border terrorism against Pakistan,” Lt Gen Chaudhry categorically stated.
“It has been seven days since the Pahalgam attack, yet not a single shred of evidence has been provided to substantiate the baseless allegations levelled against Pakistan,” he added.
The DG ISPR said that India has been found operating terror networks inside Pakistan, wherein explosives, IEDs, and other lethal materials are being supplied to terrorists with the intent to target not only security forces but also innocent civilians.
“This irrefutable evidence is just one small component of the broader pattern of state-sponsored terrorism being orchestrated by India,” he added.
