Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday expressed Pakistan’s willingness to participate in a “neutral, transparent and credible” investigation into the Pahalgam attack, amid rising tensions between Pakistan and India.
Addressing a passing-out parade at the Pakistan Military Academy in Kakul, PM Shehbaz condemned India’s “perpetual blame game” and called for an end to accusations that lacked credible investigations.
“The recent tragedy in Pahalgam is yet another example of this pattern,” he said, emphasizing that Pakistan, as a responsible nation, is open to cooperating in any neutral inquiry. He criticized India for making “baseless allegations” against Pakistan without providing verifiable evidence and reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to supporting the Kashmiri people’s right to self-determination, stressing that Kashmir remains the “jugular vein” of Pakistan.
Shehbaz also pointed out Pakistan’s immense sacrifices in the global fight against terrorism, citing over 90,000 casualties and $600 billion in economic losses. He reiterated Pakistan’s stance on Kashmir, echoing the words of the nation’s founder, Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah, that Kashmir is crucial to Pakistan’s existence and that the country will continue to support the Kashmiris’ struggle for their rights.
His remarks follow Defence Minister Khawaja Asif’s recent statement calling for an international probe into the attack, as reported by the New York Times. Asif rejected India’s claims of Pakistani involvement, describing militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba as “defunct” with no active operations in Pakistan. He also warned that India’s actions were an attempt to punish Pakistan “without any proof.”
Asif further suggested that the Pahalgam attack might have been a “false flag” operation orchestrated by India to escalate tensions and undermine the Indus Waters Treaty, which India unilaterally suspended in response to the attack.
In a separate interview with Sky News, Asif cautioned that any full-scale attack by India would trigger an “all-out war,” warning of the catastrophic risks involved.
Meanwhile, the United Nations has urged both India and Pakistan to exercise “maximum restraint” in the wake of the escalating tensions.
