By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: All main political parties, excluding the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), pledged on Sunday to support a robust response to any Indian “misadventure” following a deadly attack in occupied Kashmir.
The commitment emerged from a closed-door briefing in Islamabad, where military and government officials accused India of staging the attack as a “false flag operation” in disputed Kashmir.
Tensions between nuclear-armed rivals increased after the killing of 26 tourists last week in the Pahalgam area of occupied Kashmir, which India blamed on Pakistan. Islamabad rejected the accusation and called for a neutral probe.
The session was led by Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lt-Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry and Information Minister Attaullah Tarar. It aimed to update political leaders on tensions with India and the readiness of Pakistan’s armed forces.
Minister Tarar outlined diplomatic measures taken by the government to address India’s recent allegations against Pakistan, while General Chaudhry provided details on operational preparedness to counter potential threats, according to the media report.
Officials told the gathering that India had orchestrated the Pahalgam attack to create a pretext for aggression against Pakistan, however, New Delhi failed to convince the international community of its version of events, while Pakistan’s position had gained strength following the incident.
Dawn newspaper reported that major political parties expressed unified support for the country’s armed forces to counter perceived Indian attempts to destabilize regional peace.
“Pakistan is a peaceful country and wants peace in the region,” Lt. Gen. Chaudhry was quoted as saying during the closed-door meeting. “But if aggression is imposed on Pakistan, then the Pakistani forces are ready to give a befitting reply to the enemy.”
Senator Muhammad Abdul Qadir, present at the briefing, told media that officials briefed on India’s covert operation in Pahalgam, part of what he described as broader efforts to divert water resources from the Indus River, escalate tensions in occupied Kashmir, and “camouflage Indian state terrorism” via alleged collusion with Afghan Taliban factions.
The covert operations were supported by video evidence purportedly showing Indian involvement in destabilizing activities in Balochistan province, Qadir told Dawn.
The meeting included leaders from the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), and Kashmiri representatives, signaling rare political consensus on national security matters. Notable attendees included PPP’s Raja Pervez Ashraf, PML-N’s Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, and MQM-P’s Farooq Sattar.
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