Islamabad has said it will “respond decisively” to military action, as tensions with New Delhi’s tensions after Kashmir attacked.
Pakistan’s Minister of Information and Broadcasting says he has “reliable information” that India is set to launch a military strike within the next 24 to 36 hours as Islamabad is tense after the fatal attack in India-controlled Kashmir.
In a social media post early on Wednesday, Atala Tara accused India of using the attacks in Pahargam last week, killing 26 tourists in Pahargam and “as a false pretext” to attack Pakistan.
The minister did not provide any specific information to support his claims and the Indian government did not immediately publicly comment on the allegations.
“Aggression will be met with decisive responses. India is fully responsible for the serious consequences of the region,” Tara said in a post on X.
Pakistan’s Defense Minister Kawaja Muhammad Asif also told Reuters on Monday that military aggression by India was “immediate.”
Islamabad is wary, but will only use nuclear weapons if “there is a direct threat to our existence,” Asif said.
India’s Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters news agency on its latest remarks from Tara.
Tensions between the two countries have been rising after India said there is a Pakistani element associated with the April 22 attack at the Pahargam mountain resort.
It has been the most deadly attack on Indian-controlled Kashmir tourists for over 20 years, with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi pledging to pursue the attacker.
A statement issued in the name of the Front of Resistance (TRF), considered to be a derivative of Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba, claimed responsibility for the attack.
However, Islamabad denies any role in what happened and calls for neutral investigation.
After the attack, neighbors unleashed each other’s diplomatic measures, such as revoking visas and closing Pakistani airspace to Indian Airlines.
India has also suspended participation in the Indus Waters Convention, which regulates water sharing from the Indus River and tributaries between the two countries.
The move has fueled protests in Pakistan, and the Pakistani government said it is preparing legal action over the New Delhi decision.
The fire was also exchanged along the Control (LOC), the boundary of the 740km (460 miles) Debakt, separating the Indian and Pakistan-controlled regions of Kashmir, prompting an international call to dismantle the tensions.
On Tuesday, the US urged both countries to work towards a “responsible solution.”
“We reach out to both parties and … to not escalate the situation…” a State Department spokesman told reporters, citing a statement from Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
The spokesman added that Rubio will speak to foreign ministers of India and Pakistan on Tuesday or Wednesday, encouraging other foreign ministers to do the same.
The UN also said that Secretary-General Antonio Guterres spoke with Pakistan Prime Minister Shebaz Sharif and Indian Foreign Minister “emphasized the need to avoid conflicts that could have tragic consequences.”
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