Srinagar, April 30 — A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi granted the military “complete operational freedom” to decide the mode, targets, and timing of India’s response to the Pahalgam attack, Pakistan on early Wednesday
claimed it had “credible intelligence” that India was planning military action within the next 24 to 36 hours and warned New Delhi of consequences.
“Pakistan has credible intelligence that India intends to launch a military strike within the next 24 to 36 hours using the Pahalgam incident as a false pretext. Any act of aggression will be met with a decisive response… India will be fully responsible for any serious consequences in the region,” said Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar.
“The nation reiterates its resolve to defend the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Pakistan at all costs,” he said.
He urged the international community to recognize the gravity of the situation, cautioning that “the onus of an escalatory spiral and its ensuing consequences shall squarely lie with India.”
Stating that Pakistan has itself suffered greatly from ‘terrorism,’ Tarar said, “We truly understand the pain of this scourge and have always condemned it in all its forms and manifestations, anywhere in the world.”
“Pakistan had open-heartedly offered a credible, transparent, and independent investigation by a neutral commission of experts to ascertain the truth.”
While India has already downgraded diplomatic ties with Pakistan, suspended the Indus Waters Treaty, closed the Attari-Wagah border, and expelled all Pakistani military attachés, Pakistan has responded with reciprocal measures, including suspending the 1972 Shimla Agreement, which defines the Line of Control in divided Kashmir and governs bilateral relations.