By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday urged a “neutral and transparent” investigation into a deadly attack in occupied Kashmir earlier this week, dismissing Indian suggestions of cross-border involvement as “baseless allegations.”
The attack on April 22 in Pahalgam, a popular tourist destination in the disputed Himalayan region, left 26 people dead, mostly tourists, marking it the deadliest armed assault in Kashmir since 2000. A little-known militant group, The Resistance Front (TRF), has claimed responsibility for the assault, though Indian authorities have pointed to possible links across the border—a charge Pakistan has firmly denied.
Tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbors have flared since the incident, with India suspending the decades-old Indus Waters Treaty, a critical pact governing river-sharing in the region. Pakistan responded by threatening to shelve the Simla Agreement, a 1972 accord aimed at resolving bilateral disputes, and to close its airspace to Indian flights.
Speaking at a passing-out parade at the Pakistan Military Academy in Kakul, Sharif called for an end to what he described as a “perpetual blame game” between the two countries.
“The recent tragedy in Pahalgam is yet another example of this perpetual blame game, which must come to a grinding halt,” the PM said. “Continuing with its role as a responsible country, Pakistan is open to participating in any neutral, transparent and credible investigation.”
Sharif accused India of a “pattern of exploitation,” alleging it leveled “false accusations without credible investigation or verifiable evidence.”
The prime minister issued a stern warning to India over its decision to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty, calling water a “vital national interest” and the “lifeline” of Pakistan.
“Water is a vital national interest of Pakistan, our lifeline. Let there be no doubt at all that its availability will be safeguarded at all costs and under all circumstances,” the premier said.
“Any attempt to stop, reduce, or divert the flow of water belonging to Pakistan under the Indus Waters Treaty will be met with full force and might. Nobody should remain under any kind of false impression and confusion.”
Sharif also referenced military readiness, citing the 2019 “Operation Swift Retort” as evidence of the country’s response to India’s actions. “Our valiant armed forces remain fully capable and prepared to defend the country’s sovereignty and its territorial integrity against any misadventures, as clearly demonstrated by our measured yet resolute response to India’s reckless incursion in February 2019,” he added.
“This nation of 240 million people stands united by and behind our brave armed forces and ready to safeguard every inch of our homeland Pakistan.”
The prime minister also reaffirmed Pakistan’s longstanding position on Kashmir, a territory both nations claim in full but control only in part since their partition in 1947.
“I also need to underscore the importance of Kashmir, as the Founder of the Nation Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah rightly said, Kashmir is the jugular vein of Pakistan. Unfortunately, this globally recognised dispute remains unresolved despite multiple UN resolutions,” Sharif said.
“Let there be no doubt, Pakistan shall continue to support the right of self-determination of the Kashmiri people till they achieve their rights through their great struggle and sacrifices.”
India’s decision to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty, brokered by the World Bank in 1960, has raised fears of further escalation. The treaty allocates water from rivers flowing through Kashmir, a lifeline for agriculture and hydropower in both nations. Pakistan’s threat to abandon the Simla Agreement and restrict airspace signals a deepening rift, recalling a similar closure in 2019 after India revoked Kashmir’s special status.
The moves risk destabilizing an already fragile relationship between the South Asian rivals, both of whom possess nuclear arsenals.
Sharif used the address to underscore Pakistan’s sacrifices in combating militancy, pushing back against any insinuation of complicity in the attack.
“Pakistan, on the other hand, has always condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations,” he said. “As the world’s frontline state against terrorism, we have endured immense loss, with over 90,000 casualties and economic losses beyond imagination, exceeding $600 billion.”
“Peace is our preference but must not be construed as our weakness,” the prime minister said.
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