{"id":93268,"date":"2025-04-24T14:51:54","date_gmt":"2025-04-24T14:51:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/pahalgam-attack-fm-dar-throws-down-gauntlet-to-india-asks-for-evidence-of-allegations-against-pakistan\/"},"modified":"2025-04-24T14:51:54","modified_gmt":"2025-04-24T14:51:54","slug":"pahalgam-attack-fm-dar-throws-down-gauntlet-to-india-asks-for-evidence-of-allegations-against-pakistan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/pahalgam-attack-fm-dar-throws-down-gauntlet-to-india-asks-for-evidence-of-allegations-against-pakistan\/","title":{"rendered":"Pahalgam attack: FM Dar throws down gauntlet to India, asks for evidence of allegations against Pakistan"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\n<p>Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Thursday challenged India to present evidence, if it had any, of Pakistan\u2019s alleged involvement in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dawn.com\/news\/1905917\/at-least-24-killed-in-occupied-kashmir-gunmen-attack-on-tourists-police-source\">deadly attack<\/a> in occupied Kashmir.<\/p>\n<p>Addressing a press conference after a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dawn.com\/news\/1906284\/trade-ties-and-flights-off-limits-as-pakistan-retaliates-to-indias-moves\">high-level meeting<\/a> of the National Security Committee, FM Dar said, \u201cIndia has time and again played the blame game and if there is proof of Pakistan\u2019s involvement [in Pahalgam], please share it with us and the world.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The attack took place in Pahalgam, a tourist hotspot in occupied Kashmir that draws thousands of visitors every summer. Gunmen opened fire on visitors, killing at least 26 people \u2014 all men from across India except one from Nepal \u2014 and injuring 17 others. It was the region\u2019s deadliest attack on civilians since 2000. A hitherto unknown group, named by several Indian outlets as \u2018The Resistance Front\u2019, is said to have claimed responsibility for the attack.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"media  sm:w-1\/2  w-full  media--right  media--embed  media--uneven\">\n<p>    <iframe class=\"nk-iframe\" onload=\"setInterval(()=&gt;{try{this.style.height=this.contentWindow.document.body.scrollHeight+'px';}catch{}}, 100)\" width=\"100%\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" style=\"height:250px;position:relative\" src=\"https:\/\/www.dawn.com\/news\/card\/1906075\" sandbox=\"allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-popups allow-modals allow-forms\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>A day ago, India shut borders, downgraded diplomatic ties and, in an unprecedented move, unilaterally announced the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) over what the Bharatiya Janata Party government and media claimed \u2014 without offering any specific or concrete evidence about their allegations against Pakistan \u2014 were \u201ccross-border linkages of the terrorist attack\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>In his press conference, FM Dar rattled off the NSC\u2019s decisions and said Pakistan had responded in kind to the Indian announcements. He was seated beside Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar and Attorney General of Pakistan (AGP) Mansoor Awan.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"media  w-full  w-full  media--stretch  media--embed  \">\n<p><div class=\"ast-oembed-container \" style=\"height: 100%;\"><iframe title=\"\ud83d\udd34Live: Deputy PM Ishaq Dar &amp; Federal Ministers Emergency Press Conference on Pak India Escalation\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/tUX-UvHOkXY?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Dar said Pakistan had noted the arrival of some \u201cforeign nationals\u201d in Srinagar who were under monitoring by intelligence agencies.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe know that Indian intelligence is supporting them and the foreigners are trying to export IEDs (improvised explosive devices). You can imagine where they are trying to export them,\u201d he said, adding that Pakistan\u2019s armed forces were ready to respond to any challenge.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"media  sm:w-1\/2  w-full  media--right  media--embed  media--uneven\">\n<p>    <iframe class=\"nk-iframe\" onload=\"setInterval(()=&gt;{try{this.style.height=this.contentWindow.document.body.scrollHeight+'px';}catch{}}, 100)\" width=\"100%\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" style=\"height:250px;position:relative\" src=\"https:\/\/www.dawn.com\/news\/card\/1536224\" sandbox=\"allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-popups allow-modals allow-forms\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>\u201cWe are prepared in regard to defence. If anyone tries to attempt any adventure, then they\u2019ve tried in the past as well [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.dawn.com\/news\/1466347\">and failed<\/a>] so this time around it will be even worse for them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Asif said that although India had not named Pakistan directly for the incident, the Indian media and other stakeholders were blaming the country.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c[Narendra] Modi is the only world leader who was <a rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"link--external\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ndtv.com\/india-news\/pm-narendra-modi-recalls-when-he-was-denied-visa-by-us-tells-nikhil-kamath-one-day-world-would-7447504#:~:text=%22As%20the%20head%20of%20the%20state%2C%20America%20had%20refused%20me%20a%20visa.%20I%20held%20a%20press%20conference%20that%20day%20where%20I%20had%20said%2C%20%22One%20day%20the%20world%20would%20stand%20in%20line%20for%20an%20Indian%20visa%22.\">denied a visa by the US<\/a> and it was on the grounds of terrorism,\u201d Asif said.  \u201cWe have categorically condemned this [attack]. We condemn all forms of terrorism anywhere in the world without any hesitation, be it in India.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He said that without any hesitation, Pakistan was the greatest victim of terrorism in the world.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTerrorism is raging in Pakistan, both in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan,\u201d the defence minister said, alleging that sponsors and leaders of banned militant outfits, Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), \u201care sitting in India and they receive [medical] treatment there\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is not speculation, this is hard fact,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<p>Asif said terrorism was being exported to Pakistan, adding that whatever was emanating from Afghanistan or happening in Balochistan \u201cclearly shows the footprints and fingerprints of India\u201d.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"media  sm:w-1\/2  w-full  media--right  media--embed  media--uneven\">\n<p>    <iframe class=\"nk-iframe\" onload=\"setInterval(()=&gt;{try{this.style.height=this.contentWindow.document.body.scrollHeight+'px';}catch{}}, 100)\" width=\"100%\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" style=\"height:250px;position:relative\" src=\"https:\/\/www.dawn.com\/news\/card\/1868362\" sandbox=\"allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-popups allow-modals allow-forms\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>He said India had, as a state, \u201cexported terrorism\u201d to Canada and the United States with leaders from both countries objecting to the premise.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThank God, there are no such allegations against Pakistan,\u201d Asif added.<\/p>\n<p>The defence minister said that if India were to officially name Pakistan in the backdrop of the Pahalgam incident, the country would give a \u201cbefitting response\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNeither India nor the international community should have any doubt about it,\u201d he said, adding that Pakistan had the complete right to defend itself.<\/p>\n<p>Citing the example of Indian spy <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dawn.com\/news\/1904756\/kulbhushan-jadhav-got-consular-access-after-court-martial-not-appeal-constitutional-bench-told\">Kulbhushan Sudhir Jadhav<\/a>, who was arrested in Pakistan in 2016, Asif said that there were a series of incidents in the past 15 to 20 years which proved that India played a part in terrorism in Pakistan.<\/p>\n<p>He said that groups like the TTP and the BLA were proxies of India who had declared war on Pakistan.  \u201cIndia is already fighting a low-intensity war through terrorists against us,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf they want to ramp up its scale, then we are ready for that, let no one have any doubt about it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are not going to bow to any international pressure when it comes to our soil and security.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Asif said Pakistan\u2019s unity would be \u201con full display on the international scene\u201d if the propaganda that was being peddled by India over the last few days took on another form.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIndia will get to know how we can respond,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIndia is preparing for war and terrorist attacks in Pakistani cities. I want to say that we are ready for a response and it will be tit-for-tat if our citizens are endangered. Indian citizens will not remain safe. If even one citizen is harmed in an Indian-perpetrated\/orchestrated act, then we will make them pay through their noses.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Talking about the legal aspects of India\u2019s announcement, AGP Awan, an active member of the team that deals with the IWT, said that the treaty could not be suspended, let alone either party do it unilaterally.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf the treaty is to be ended, then it would end by an agreement between the two countries,\u201d the AGP said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs far as the [Indian] statement is concerned, which is only a statement for now, if this escalates, then Pakistan, according to the treaty, has all legal rights,\u201d he said, adding that Pakistan would approach any forum related to the treaty to present its case.<\/p>\n<p>At this, FM Dar added that when the Indian external foreign secretary issued the statement, the charge d\u2019affaires at the Pakistani High Commission in India was summoned and handed over a demarche.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn that demarche, there was everything that they had decided. Interestingly, it does not mention the IWT,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Dar said the Foreign Office would summon Indian officials and issue a demarche today to inform them of the NSC\u2019s decisions. \u201cLooking at these conditions, my visits to Bangladesh and Kabul have been delayed so that we can prepare a diplomatic response,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<p>Responding to a question regarding what actions Pakistan would take to India\u2019s escalations, FM Dar said Pakistan would mirror India.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is tit-for-tat [\u2026] whatever they do, we will do to them,\u201d Dar said.<\/p>\n<p>In response to a question as to what Pakistan would do in response if India were to stop the water, Dar said that it would be tantamount to an \u201cact of war\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhatever actions we have to take, we are prepared for that, including abeyance of bilateral agreements like the Simla Agreement,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>In response to a question about whether China would help Pakistan, FM Dar said that Pakistan did not need any help.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are taking our friends in confidence. However, we are not dependent on someone to help us.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPakistan is prepared in every way,\u201d Dar said, adding that Pakistan always talked about peace and promoted it at multilateral forums.<\/p>\n<p>Law minister Tarar said the provisions for suspension did not exist in the IWT. \u201cIndia should not blame Pakistan for its security lapses and evade responsibility without any tangible and admissible evidence.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, the information minister said that the response from India was \u201cchildish and immature\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLegally, they did not read the document, nor did they try to find the legal grounds,\u201d the minister said, adding that he saw hollow threats yesterday from the Indian side.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe entire world knows this with clarity that India has been using terrorism to victimise itself,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are a frontline state against terrorism. You have been exposed. The entire world knows that you sponsor terrorism in Pakistan [\u2026] now you are using it for your political advantage,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<h2><a id=\"pahalgam-incident-regrettable-we-stand-united-for-national-interest-gandapur\" href=\"#pahalgam-incident-regrettable-we-stand-united-for-national-interest-gandapur\" class=\"heading-permalink\" aria-hidden=\"true\" title=\"Permalink\"\/>Pahalgam incident regrettable, we stand united for national interest: Gandapur<\/h2>\n<p>Separately, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sardar Ali Amin Gandapur chaired the 31st meeting of the provincial cabinet, during which he strongly condemned the recent Pahalgam incident.<\/p>\n<p>Describing the event as deeply regrettable, Gandapur reaffirmed that the nation stood united in safeguarding Pakistan\u2019s national interest and territorial integrity.<\/p>\n<p>CM Gandapur criticised the Indian government\u2019s response to the incident, labelling it \u201caggressive, unfortunate and unacceptable\u201d. He stated that the Indian authorities were attempting to exploit the Pahalgam incident as part of a \u201cdeliberate conspiracy to malign Pakistan\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>He emphasised that the incident highlighted the Indian government\u2019s failures and incompetence.<\/p>\n<p>Expressing sorrow over the loss of lives, Gandapur accused the Indian leadership of using inflammatory rhetoric against Pakistan to cover up its internal shortcomings.<\/p>\n<p>Gandapur warned that any act of aggression under the guise of this incident would meet with a resolute and strong response. \u201cWe are fully prepared to defend our country,\u201d he declared, \u201cand we will not hesitate to make any sacrifice necessary to protect our sovereignty.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He further added that India\u2019s aggressive posture had always posed a serious threat to regional peace and stability.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Thursday challenged India to present evidence, if it had any, of Pakistan\u2019s alleged involvement in a deadly attack in occupied Kashmir. Addressing a press conference after a high-level meeting of the National Security Committee, FM Dar said, \u201cIndia has time and again played the blame game [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":93269,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/i.dawn.com\/large\/2025\/04\/24164152a2ab7e3.jpg?r=173338","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-93268","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-top-news"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93268","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=93268"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93268\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/93269"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=93268"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=93268"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=93268"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}