ISLAMABAD: Calling out India’s ‘exploitation’ of the Pulwama attack for political gains, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said revelations by the former governor of India-held Kashmir have vindicated Pakistan.

He also urged the international community to take note of the BJP government’s actions that could have led to disastrous consequences for the region.

The prime minister’s remarks were in response to a recent interview by ex-India-held Kashmir governor Satya Pal Malik in which he disclosed that after the attack in 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had asked him to stay silent over some alleged lapses he flagged.

“Revelations by ex-Governor of IIOJK about reality of Pulwama incident & how Indian govt exploited situation for political gains vindicates Pakistan’s position,” the prime minister said in a tweet.

Urges world to take note of New Delhi’s ‘brinkmanship’; terms thaw between Riyadh and Tehran ‘remarkable’

“[The] world should take note of India’s dangerous brinkmanship that could have led to disastrous consequences for the region,” the PM said about the attack which brought the two nuclear-armed nations to the brink of war.

Mr Sharif’s statement came a day after the Foreign Office said the revelations demonstrated how Indian leadership had “used the bogey of terrorism from Pakistan to advance its victimhood narrative and the Hindutva agenda.”

Later, at an Iftar dinner hosted in honour of ambassadors from Islamic countries, he termed the bridging of differences between Saudi Arabia and Iran “a remarkable achievement” and a positive development that was seen by Pakistan with happiness and hope.

“We are all happy about this positive development and the follow up has been extremely speedy. It is a great pleasure to witness meetings of foreign ministers, and delegations visiting Riyadh and Tehran”, APP quoted him as saying.

He also thanked Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait and Malaysia, among others, for their very valuable and timely assistance for the flood affected.

In a separate statement, the Foreign Office hailed the recent dialogue and diplomatic engagement towards attainment of peace in Yemen and appreciated Riyadh’s role in reinforcing the efforts of Oman and the UN Special Envoy for Yemen.

Plan to curb sugar smuggling

Separately, the prime minister also chaired a meeting to review measures to stop the smuggling of sugar, wheat flour, and urea. He ordered an increase in the number of check posts in border districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan and ordered action against warehouses involved in hoarding and smuggling.

The PM said anti-smuggling courts should be immediately made effective and functional and their number be increased for quick disposal of cases and exemplary punishment to those causing a loss of billions to the country. Sugar and urea confiscated during operations against smuggling should be sold in markets at the government-mandated price, said Mr Sharif.

Published in Dawn, April 18th, 2023