Pakistan rejects India’s allegations linking it to Pahalgam incident

Islamabad: Pakistan’s Foreign Office on Thursday rejected what it described as India’s campaign of baseless allegations and propaganda seeking to connect Pakistan to the April 2025 Pahalgam incident, and urged New Delhi to avoid rhetoric and actions that could undermine efforts for regional and international peace and security.

In a statement, the Foreign Office said:

“At a time when Pakistan, along with its international partners, is undertaking concerted diplomatic efforts for regional and international peace and security, it is deplorable that India has once again resorted to a campaign of baseless allegations and propaganda to link Pakistan with the Pahalgam incident.”

The response came after remarks by the Indian Army on the anniversary of the Pahalgam attack. Another report said the Foreign Office did not specify which statements or allegations it was referring to. An Indian media outlet had recently claimed in an investigation that the alleged mastermind of the Pahalgam attack was sheltering in Pakistan and possessed a Pakistani identity card carrying a Rawalpindi address. The same report also said Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had issued a veiled warning to Pakistan a day earlier.

On April 22 last year, unidentified attackers killed 26 people in Pahalgam in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir. India blamed Pakistan for the attack without presenting evidence, while Islamabad denied the allegation and called for a neutral or independent investigation.

The Foreign Office said it was unfortunate that, during an ongoing regional crisis, India remained focused on “weaponising its false narrative against Pakistan for narrow domestic political gains“.

The statement added “After receiving a befitting reply to its misplaced adventurism in the form of Operation Bunyan-um-Marsoos last year, such allegations constitute yet another chapter from India’s playbook of creating a smokescreen for its continued sponsorship of terrorism across the region.”

The Foreign Office further said such propaganda could not divert international attention from India’s continued occupation of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir and its denial of the right to self-determination to Kashmiris in violation of relevant UN resolutions.

could not hide what it called India’s role in undermining regional peace and security through inflammatory rhetoric, repeated provocations and aggressive military posturing, including its unilateral move to hold the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance, which Pakistan said was in violation of international law.

The statement concluded “We hope that the international community will call on India to demonstrate responsible behaviour and to refrain from all rhetoric and actions that may serve as a spoiler to ongoing efforts aimed at regional and international peace and security.”

Escalation after the Pahalgam attack

Tensions rose sharply after the Pahalgam attack. One report said India undertook a series of hostile measures on April 23, 2025, including suspending the 65-year-old Indus Waters Treaty.

The reports differ on the sequence and description of the subsequent military escalation. One report said India later carried out unlawful missile strikes inside Pakistan, resulting in the martyrdom of several civilians and security personnel. Another report said that in the early hours of May 7, 2025, missile strikes hit six cities in Punjab and Azad Jammu and Kashmir, destroying a mosque and killing dozens of civilians, including women, children and the elderly.

On Pakistan’s response, one report said Pakistan downed seven Indian fighter jets, including three Rafale aircraft, dozens of drones, and destroyed an S-400 defence system. The other report said Pakistan’s armed forces shot down Indian warplanes, including three Rafale jets. It also said Pakistan later launched Operation Bunyanum Marsoos, targeting Indian military installations, including missile storage sites, airbases and other strategic locations.

Both reports said the conflict ended on May 10, 2025, with a ceasefire. One report said the ceasefire agreement was brokered by the United States. The other said United States President Donald Trump announced that a ceasefire had been reached after overnight diplomatic efforts, and that the agreement was later confirmed by Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and the Indian foreign secretary.

Tarar’s remarks

A day earlier, Federal Minister for Information Attaullah Tarar said India had failed to provide credible evidence for its allegations against Pakistan one year after the incident. In a special televised statement, he also said India had avoided calls for an independent investigation into what he described as a false flag operation.

Tarar said the Pahalgam incident reflected a mindset driven by “hollowness, illogical thinking, false pride, arrogance, and greed“, and added that India had consistently failed to address concerns raised over the episode despite the passage of a year.