Pakistan does not intend to attack the first, but is ready to give a tough response to the actions of India, which will contribute to the escalation of tension. This was stated by Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan Mohammad Ishak Dar.
“Pakistan will not be the first to resort to provocative actions. However, we will give a decisive rebuff to any provocative step from the Indian side,” he said during a briefing.
Commenting on the accusations of Islamabad’s involvement in the Palgs area in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir Iskhak Dar emphasized that Pakistan condemns any manifestations of terrorism.
The Foreign Minister noted that the Indian authorities are putting baseless accusations for their political purposes.
Terrorist attack in Pakhalgam
April 22, in the Pakhalgam region in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, armed people opened fire on tourists, as a result of which 26 people died, several more were injured.
After the attack, India Prime Minister Narendra Modi interrupted his official visit to Saudi Arabia and returned to New Delhi. Upon arrival in the capital of Modi, he held a meeting on security with the participation of senior officials to assess the situation.
The Indian authorities accused people who arrived from Pakistan of an attack. India suspended the “Treaty of the Waters of the Indus”, demanded that the Pakistani advisers working in New Delhi, leave the country for a week, and also announced the suspension of the issuance of visas to Pakistan citizens and canceling all previously issued visas.
In the meantime, Pakistan rejected the accusations and reduced the number of diplomatic personnel of India in Islamabad.
Pakistan authorities said that they will consider any intervention in the rivers, which goes beyond the “Treaty of the Waters of the Indus” as the “Act of the War”. The country also suspended all the trade with India and closed its airspace.
The Government of Pakistan also announced the suspension of the actions of all visas issued to India citizens. In addition, the Islamabad authorities hinted that they could suspend the Simlsky agreement signed after the 1971 war with India, which establishes the control line between countries.