Pakistan Repeats Claim of Pending Indian Military Action

By Staff, Agencies

Pakistan's information minister, Attaullah Tarar, confirmed that Islamabad had "credible intelligence" indicating that India planned to launch a military strike against the country within "the next 24 to 36 hours."

In a statement on social media platform X, former Twitter, in early Wednesday, Tarar accused India of, what he called, trying to use a recent deadly terrorist attack in the Indian-administered Kashmir as a "false pretext" for potential military action against Pakistan.

He warned that any act of aggression would be met with a decisive response, holding India fully responsible for any serious consequences in the region.

The claim followed the attack in the town of Pahalgam that claimed the lives of 26 tourists.

Pakistan's Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif had also said in an interview with Reuters on Monday that a military strike by India was "imminent." He had stated that while Pakistan was on high alert, it would only consider deploying nuclear weapons if there was a "direct threat to its existence. "

The Pahalgam attack, which occurred on April 22, was the deadliest targeting of civilians in Indian-administered Kashmir in over two decades.

In response to the attack, both countries have taken tit-for-tat measures; India has suspended the Indus Waters Treaty, a water-sharing agreement mediated by the World Bank and signed in 1960, and closed the Wagah-Attari border crossing. Pakistan has suspended visas issued to Indian nationals and closed its airspace to Indian airlines.

The United Nations has expressed deep concern over the rising tensions. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres held separate discussions with Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and India's Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar earlier, emphasizing the urgent need to prevent any confrontation that could have devastating consequences.

Guterres reiterated the UN's commitment to peace and offered support for efforts aimed at de-escalating the situation.