Pakistan’s minister for information and broadcasting says Islamabad has “credible intelligence” that India intends to launch a military strike within the next 24 to 36 hours, as tensions between the two countries escalate following a deadly attack in Indian-administered Kashmir.
In a social media post early on Wednesday, Attaullah Tarar accused India of using last week’s attack in Pahalgam, which killed 26 tourists, “as a false pretext” to potentially strike Pakistan.
The minister did not provide any concrete information to back up his claim, and the Indian government did not immediately comment publicly on the allegations.
“Any act of aggression will be met with a decisive response. India will be fully responsible for any serious consequences in the region,” Tarar said in the post on X.
Pakistani Minister of Defence Khawaja Muhammad Asif also told the Reuters news agency on Monday that a military incursion by India was “imminent”.
Islamabad is on high alert but will only use its nuclear weapons if “there is a direct threat to our existence”, Asif said.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Reuters news agency on the latest remarks from Tarar.
Tensions between the two countries have been rising after India said there were Pakistani elements linked to the attack on April 22 in the mountain resort of Pahalgam.
It was the deadliest attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir in more than two decades, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has promised to pursue the attackers.
A statement issued in the name of The Resistance Front (TRF), which is believed to be an offshoot of the Pakistani-based Lashkar-e-Taiba, claimed responsibility for the attack.
But Islamabad has denied any role in what happened and called for a neutral investigation.
After the attack, the neighbours unleashed a raft of diplomatic measures against each other, including visa revocations and the closure of Pakistani airspace to Indian airlines.
India also suspended its participation in the Indus Waters Treaty, which regulates water-sharing from the Indus River and its tributaries between the two countries.
The move spurred protests in Pakistan, and the Pakistani government has said it is preparing legal action over New Delhi’s decision.
Fire also has been exchanged along the Line of Control (LoC), the 740km (460-mile) de-facto border separating Indian- and Pakistani-controlled areas of Kashmir, prompting international calls to de-escalate tensions.
On Tuesday, the United States urged the two countries to work towards a “responsible solution”.
“We are reaching out to both parties, and telling … them to not escalate the situation,” a Department of State spokesperson told reporters, quoting a statement by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
The spokesperson added that Rubio would speak to the foreign ministers of India and Pakistan on Tuesday or Wednesday and encouraged other foreign ministers to do the same.
The United Nations also said Secretary-General Antonio Guterres spoke with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Indian Minister of External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and “underscored the need to avoid a confrontation that could result in tragic consequences”. (Al Jazeera)
