Amid escalating tensions with India, Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar emphasized on Wednesday that while Pakistan will not initiate any escalation, it will respond decisively if provoked.
Dar made this statement during a joint press conference in Islamabad with Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry and Foreign Office Spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan. The trio addressed recent border skirmishes with India along the Line of Control (LoC) and accused India of supporting terrorism within Pakistan.
The relationship between Pakistan and India has sharply deteriorated following the April 22 attack in Pahalgam, located in Indian-occupied Kashmir, which resulted in the deaths of 26 individuals, mostly tourists. The attack is one of the deadliest on civilians in the region since 2000. The Resistance Front, a Kashmir-based group, later denied involvement after an initial claim of responsibility.
In the aftermath of the attack, India suggested, without providing evidence, that Pakistan was behind the assault, a claim Pakistan has firmly rejected. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has called for an independent and impartial investigation into the incident.
Dar stated that the region was facing a critical threat to peace and stability due to the “politically motivated and highly provocative atmosphere being created by India” in the wake of the attack.
“The international community has urged restraint in recent days. I want to make it clear, on behalf of the government and the nation, that Pakistan will not be the first to escalate the situation. However, if provoked by any escalatory move from India, we will respond very strongly,” Dar said.
Dar reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to condemning terrorism in all its forms and emphasized that the killing of innocent civilians was deplorable. He expressed Pakistan’s condolences to the victims of the Pahalgam attack, highlighting that Pakistan, being a victim of terrorism itself, empathized deeply with those affected.
He pointed out that while Pakistan had faced numerous acts of terrorism, including losing over 80,000 lives and incurring economic losses exceeding $150 billion, India had, in contrast, “glorified and even celebrated” terrorist actions against Pakistan and other countries. Dar argued that Pakistan had been actively collaborating with the international community to address the shared threat of terrorism.
The Foreign Minister added that India’s accusations against Pakistan were preposterous and part of a “deliberate media and political campaign.” He linked the current situation to past incidents like the 2019 Pulwama attack, suggesting that India’s rhetoric was aimed at diverting attention from its failure to address the self-determination of Kashmiris and its ongoing human rights violations in the disputed region.
Dar accused India of using the terrorism allegations to further its strategic goals, including suppressing Kashmiris’ right to self-determination and defying international resolutions. He also noted that such incidents seemed to coincide with high-profile Indian political events, further suggesting they were designed to stir up domestic political sentiment.
“The root cause of instability in South Asia is the unresolved Kashmir dispute. India’s illegal occupation of Kashmir and its violations of UN Security Council resolutions must remain a serious concern for the global community,” Dar said.
He also condemned India’s inflammatory and Islamophobic rhetoric, warning that such narratives were destabilizing the region. Dar questioned the timing of India’s rapid accusations against Pakistan after the Pahalgam attack, urging that the international community demand an independent investigation.
Dar pointed to India’s recent actions, such as the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, as “illegal and highly irresponsible.” He noted that the treaty could not be amended or terminated unilaterally, stressing that any attempt to disrupt the flow of water would be considered an “act of war” by Pakistan. Pakistan, as a country dependent on the treaty for water resources, viewed any violation of its terms as a direct threat to its sovereignty and economy.
“The National Security Committee has made it very clear that any attempt to alter or halt the flow of water from the Indus Basin will be considered an act of war,” Dar said.
In conclusion, Dar affirmed that Pakistan, while advocating for regional peace, would not hesitate to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity in the event of aggression. He also posed critical questions to the international community, urging them to hold India accountable for its past transgressions and to prevent further escalation in a nuclearized region.
The Foreign Minister assured that Pakistan’s armed forces were on high alert and ready to respond decisively to any aggression, echoing the National Security Committee’s resolve.
