ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will not initiate conflict but will deliver a strong response if provoked, Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar declared on Wednesday, amid rising fears of an Indian cross-border strike following the Pahalgam incident in IIOJK.
Addressing a joint press briefing with DG ISPR Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, Dar stated the Pakistan military is fully prepared to defend the country. While Pakistan seeks peace, he warned any military escalation by India would be met with a "befitting response."
The remarks followed reports that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had given the military a "free hand" in response to the April 22 attack in Pahalgam, which India quickly blamed on Pakistan without providing evidence.
Dar reiterated Pakistan's clear stance against terrorism, saying no cause justifies killing innocents. He extended condolences for the lives lost in the attack but criticized India for exploiting such incidents to justify aggression and distract from its failures in Kashmir.
He accused India of glorifying extrajudicial killings, sponsoring terrorism in Pakistan, and staging fake encounters involving Pakistani prisoners. "No country has suffered more from terrorism than Pakistan," he said, noting India’s disinformation strategy and state-sponsored campaigns aimed at deflecting attention from human rights abuses in Kashmir.
Dar emphasized that Pakistan would not be the first to escalate tensions, but it would defend itself decisively. He condemned India's "war-mongering" media and raised critical questions for the international community, including calls to hold India accountable for transnational assassinations and its Islamophobic narratives.
DG ISPR Gen Sharif added that India’s immediate blame on Pakistan, just minutes after the Pahalgam incident, raised suspicions. He highlighted inconsistencies in India's account, questioning how attackers could reach the remote area from Pakistan so quickly.
He warned that India is using such incidents as pretexts for diplomatic retaliation, including attempts to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty. The DG ISPR also revealed cases of Pakistani prisoners being killed in fake encounters in Indian jails.
Both officials urged international stakeholders to recognize the dangers of Indian brinkmanship, warning that continued provocations in a nuclear region could have dire consequences for regional and global stability.
