Amid rising tensions with India, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said on Wednesday that Pakistan will not initiate any escalation but warned of a strong response if provoked.

His statement came during a joint press conference in Islamabad with Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry and Foreign Office Spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan, where they addressed recent border confrontations with India along the Line of Control (LoC) and accused New Delhi of supporting terrorism inside Pakistan.

What was said:

• FM Dar says entire region facing serious threat to peace
• Says Pakistan will respond very strong to any escalatory move
• Says durable solution for India in focusing on internal problems
• Raises questions about Pahalgam incident
• FO spokesperson highlights irregularities in Pahalgam FIR registration
• DG ISPR pokes holes in Indian narrative
• Says India uses illegally held Pakistani prisoners in fake encounters
• Says army monitoring the situation very carefully in all terrains
• Says Pakistanis will defend territorial integrity and sovereignty at all costs
• Says law enforcement agencies fully capable of taking on all threats simultaneously

Ties between Pakistan and India have hit a new low after the April 22 attack in Indian-occupied Kashmir’s Pahalgam, which killed 26 men, mostly tourists, in one of the deadliest assaults on civilians there since 2000. Kashmir Resistance, or The Resistance Front, initially claimed responsibility but later denied involvement. New Delhi, without evidence, implied Pakistani backing, a claim Islamabad has strongly rejected. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has urged a neutral probe into the incident.

FM Dar said the entire region was facing a serious threat to peace and stability owing to the “politically motivated and highly provocative environment being created by India” in the wake of the Pahalgam attack.

“The world leaders have been requesting the exercise of restraint in recent days. I have made it very clear, on behalf of the government and the nation, that Pakistan will not be the first one to resort to any escalatory move. However, in case of any escalatory move by the Indian side, we will respond very strongly,” he said.

“Let me start by reiterating that Pakistan condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. No cause or objective can justify taking the lives of innocent people. This is the national and Islamic policy: killing of a human being is tantamount to killing entire humanity as per the [Holy] Quran and saving a life is tantamount to saving entire humanity.”

The deputy prime minister said the targeting of innocent civilians was sorely condemnable and deplorable, adding that Pakistan had been raising its policy in this regard wherever it was happening in the world.

“We are concerned over the loss of life during the Pahalgam attack. We also extend our condolences. Being a victim of terrorism itself, no one can feel the pain of those impacted by this scourge like Pakistan,” Dar said.

On the other hand, he said: “India glorifies and even celebrates its assassination campaign and sponsoring of terrorism in Pakistan and other countries. No other country has sacrificed so much or suffered as much as Pakistan due to terrorism.”

Recounting the loss of over 80,000 lives and economic losses of over $150 billion, Dar said that in total, the overall loss incurred by Pakistan amounted to $500bn. Pakistan, he went on to say, had been working closely with the international community to address the common threat.

He said the sacrifices made by Pakistan’s law enforcement agencies and civilians had helped to address the threat of terrorism and contributed towards regional and international peace and stability.

“Pakistan has been the victim of terrorism that has been planned, orchestrated and sponsored by India,” FM Dar said, adding that in such a backdrop, it was “preposterous to even suggest any kind of association of Pakistan with this [Pahalgam] incident”.

Dar pointed out that the furore and media hype created over “each and every incident in India seems to be deliberate and choreographed”, adding that it was “unfortunate that India continues to weaponise unsubstantiated accusations and allegations as part of its disinformation strategy for narrow political ends”.

He alleged it was not the first time that India had resorted to this practice.

“They have done it before and resorted again to the same to what they did in the Pulwama incident,” the deputy prime minister said, adding that it had become a “very familiar template aimed at diverting attention from India’s inability to suppress the inalienable right of Kashmiris to self-determination, its security failures in [occupied Kashmir] as well as its decades-long state terrorism and oppression”.

Dar asserted that India deliberately raised tensions with Pakistan to distract the international community’s attention from the “horrors” of what was happening in occupied India.

“A durable solution for India lies in focusing on its internal problems instead of pointing fingers at other countries. India has been deploying allegations of terrorism to achieve its strategic objectives for a long time,” Dar said, adding that India had a history of using the excuse of terrorism to introduce “draconian laws” to suppress Kashmiris in the occupied territory and to defy UN Security Council resolutions on the issue.

“India needs to explain why such incidents usually coincide with high-profile visits … The root cause of instability and conflict in South Asia is the unresolved and long-festering Jammu and Kashmir dispute. India’s illegal occupation … in stark violation of UNSC resolutions and grave violations of human rights, must remain a matter of grave concern for the international community.

“At the same time, all such incidents are used to whip up domestic political sentiment for narrow political gains. We remain extremely concerned at the very vitriolic, highly inflammatory and blatantly Islamophobic narrative being directed against Kashmiris and Indian Muslims.

He said the Indian media and political leaders were directing a similar discourse against Pakistan, which he criticised as a “highly irresponsible ploy for narrow objective gains” that was pushing the entire region towards “extreme instability”.

“India made allegations against Pakistan after the Pahalgam attack without an iota of evidence and with such dramatic speed. Pakistan has nothing to do with it and we have said so right from the beginning, and I repeat: Pakistan has nothing to do with the Pahalgam incident, period.

“We demand an independent and transparent probe by neutral investigators, as announced by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Any TORs (terms of reference) in this regard should be credible and mutually agreed upon.

“Pakistan has neither any connection … nor is the potential beneficiary. At a time when the economy is stabilising and we are making significant progress against terrorism, we need to question why this situation is being created by India all of a sudden and what is the motivation behind it.”

Dar also mentioned that the recent actions and announcements by India after a meeting of its cabinet security committee were “illegal and highly irresponsible”.

“Holding in abeyance the Indus Waters Treaty is unilateral and illegal. There are no such provisions in the treaty, it cannot be amended or terminated without consensus and in case of disagreements or issues, there are forums provided in the treaty which should be invoked,” he added.

The deputy prime minister added that the aforementioned actions demonstrated India’s “blatant disregard” for the sanctity of international treaties and set a dangerous precedent.

“It strikes at a fundamental ill of regional cooperation with profound implications for regional and global stability,” the foreign minister explained.

“Pakistan is an agrarian economy, millions of people are dependent on the waters being regulated by this treaty. We gave up three rivers in this treaty and I can hardly find a water distribution treaty in the world whereby, a part of dealing with the distribution of water, the rivers could have also been given up.”

Dar said the National Security Committee had made it “very clear” that any attempt to stop or divert the flow of water belonging to Pakistan, as per the IWT and the usurpation of the rights of the lower riparian, would be considered an “act of war”.

“It is equal to an attack on the people of Pakistan and its economy. Other diplomatic measures by India are indiscriminate and unnecessary. India’s actions and inflammatory rhetoric over the last few days are highly irresponsible. Being a responsible member of the international community, Pakistan believes in restraint and remains committed to regional peace and stability.

“However, in case of any act of aggression, Pakistan remains determined to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity, in exercise of its inherent right to self-defence under Article 51 of the UN charter.”

Questions about Pahalgam incident

FM Dar said he wanted to raise some questions about the Pahalgam incident that needed to be considered.

“One, is it not time for the international community to hold India accountable for its transnational assassinations in different countries, including Pakistan? Two, is it not important to distinguish between the international community’s sympathies with the victims of the incident and the unwitting endorsement of Indian belligerence?

Three, is it not that Indian propaganda is aimed at fabricating a case for military adventure? Four, don’t you think that India’s blatant disregard for international law and whimsical approach towards its obligations would lead to a highly unstable and unpredictable regional order?

“Five, isn’t it high time for the international community to step in and condemn India and prevent it from targeting people on the basis of Islamophobia and religious hatred?

Six, can we deny that the dangerous Indian brinkmanship and efforts aimed at escalation can potentially lead to disastrous consequences in a nuclearised region and beyond?“

The foreign minister said Pakistan was cognisant of the developing situation. “We are very alert, the armed forces are alert, and the NSC resolve is very much there. We are vigilant, our armed forces are vigilant and the nation will thwart any misadventure, responding in a befitting and decisive manner at the time and place of our choosing,” he added.

Dar pointed out that it took no time for Pakistan to issue the statement expressing its condolences. “I was with the prime minister in Ankara on an official 36-hour visit. After we landed, the news came, and the moment the meetings ended in the evening, for which we had gone, I was in touch with the FO and the foreign secretary, and the team and I finalised in consultation with the stakeholders, Pakistan’s statement on this incident,” the foreign minister said.

“So don’t tell me that Pakistan has not condemned. There are different forums of condemnation. Pakistan has condemned at the international forum where it is responsible, one of the 15 members of the UNSC. Pakistan’s highest security forum, which is the NSC, has condemned it.

“We have condemned terrorism in all its manifestations and forms. The prime minister has given a very clear condemnation statement when he offered an independent inquiry … by independent actors.

“So this is rhetoric which the other side has been playing that we did not condemn, that is all wrong.”

Irregularities with Pahalgam FIR

Following Dar’s remarks, FO spokesperson Khan highlighted irregularities in the registration of the first information report for the incident and criticised the speed with which Indian accounts began blaming Pakistan without offering any evidence.

“The timing raises serious questions about how information was processed so quickly,” he said.

Meanwhile, DG ISPR Lt Gen Chaudhry noted that the attack site was located far from the nearest town of Bagh in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, emphasising that Pakistan was presenting facts rather than engaging in baseless allegations.

“If the allegation is that the Pakistan-based so-called terrorists did this incident, then you need to be cognizant of where it lies, how deep within [occupied Kashmir]. If you see the terrain, you will see it is quite hilly, it is not the sort of terrain that is friendly and not the sort of terrain where all-weather fair roads exist. It’s mostly [four-wheelers] that travel,” he said.

Showing visuals of the area’s geography, he said the distance from the incident site to the nearest police station was 30 minutes and questioned how an FIR could be registered in 10 minutes.

The military spokesperson poked holes in the Indian narrative, saying that the other side mentioned reports of indiscriminate firing, while also putting forward a stance on the act of terrorism carried out based on religion.

Link between Indian propaganda and terrorism

Lt Gen Chaudhry said the Indian social media account spreading propaganda against Islam and Pakistan had previously been linked to terrorist attacks in the country, including the November 4, 2023, assault in Mianwali and the October 6, 2024, attack on Chinese nationals in Karachi.

“There you see the collusion, how the choreography is carried out: first projecting and predicting where we will strike, then the attack happens, followed by its glorification on social media,” Lt Gen Chaudhry said. “If you observe the pattern, their electronic media jumps in within minutes. The same sequence was visible in Pahalgam.”

He said a similar pattern of hinting at a major incident, followed by a terrorist attack, was also observed in the Jaffar Express train bombing.

The military spokesperson said the questions raised by FM Dar were those being asked by common Kashmiris and Indians themselves.

“Is it the first time it is happening? No, there is a litany of using terror incidents for political ends. This is important — these terror incidents have a political objective. We saw last time, in Pulwama, how the terror incident in February was used for … change of status of Kashmir.

“We are seeing now that a terror incident that happened in Pahalgam is being used for the purpose of IWT, distracting [from] Pakistan’s continuously and hard-fought won war on terrorism and successful efforts in reviving the economy.”

He said another important fact that needed to be considered in the situation the region was facing today was the phenomenon of fake encounters using illegally held Pakistani prisoners in India.

“We have reports, the information that hundreds of Pakistanis held in jails in different locations by India are used in fake encounters projected as terrorists and infiltrators.”

Turning to India’s “state-sponsored terrorism” in Pakistan, Chaudhry said the spokesperson of the banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) had appeared on multiple Indian news channels after the Jaffar Express attack, where he was openly glorified.

DG Chaudhry said Indian media was the first to show footage of the attack that was shot by the BLA.

He said the issue of Indian-sponsored assassinations and terrorism was transnational, affecting Canada, the US and Australia as well.

“Once we say that we have gotten nothing to do with Pahalgam and once we say that the only way out is an independent, credible transparent investigation, we have strong reasons, empirical evidence, and facts on the basis of which we are saying this.”

The military spokesperson further said: “We have credible intelligence that Indians post-Pahalgam have tasked all their proxies to undertake terrorist acts everywhere in Pakistan. Whether these proxies are operating in Balochistan or other parts of Pakistan.”

DG Chaudhry said the country had seen 3,700 terror incidents since January 24 with 77,816 operations, 1,666 terrorists killed and 3,896 casualties.

“This is terrorism that is being abetted and sponsored by India. It’s for the whole world to see, they feel it, its effects. We must be cognizant that Pakistan is the last bulwark standing against this scourge of terrorism.”

DG Chaudhry lashed out at India, saying that for the sake of its “short-term myopic objectives, it is facilitating this terrorism, it is abetting this perverted creeping ideology. Why? For short-term political objectives”.

Regarding the subsequent rhetoric against Islam and action against Muslims in India, the DG ISPR said: “I talked earlier that there is a planned and choreographed campaign of Islamist terrorism, but the acts speak differently.

“This is what some sane people are saying, the tourists who came in taxis belonging to Muslims, they stayed in hotels owned by Muslims, they ate food cooked by Muslims … and after the attack, they were covered and protected by Muslims. The first person to die was Muslim.”

He questioned why an effort was being made to label the whole community of Indian Muslims as terrorists. “Is this part of some agenda? is it part of that hate that is being systematically put into society?”

Chaudhry said that those questioning the Indian narrative were being clamped down upon.

“What the Indians are trying to do is … internalisation of external problems and externalisation of internal problems. Kashmir is an external problem and they are externalising it.

“Terrorism and extremism are an internal problem of India. Instead of handling it, and addressing it, they are externalising it. This cycle is manifesting itself in this Pahalgam incident.”

Pakistan response to escalatory moves

Questioned on Pakistan’s response and the options available to it, the DG ISPR said: “We are monitoring the situation very carefully in all terrains and accordingly, our responses and countermeasures in all domains are ready and as you must have seen in the NSC declaration, the statement of the government that came last night as well, that there will be decisive and assured actions.”

He said he would not elaborate on the details but “rest assured that the people of Pakistan, with its full resolve will defend the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Pakistan at all costs.”

Dar added: “Pakistan will exercise restraint for the purpose of regional peace, but and that is very clear, that if provoked, any action from the other side will be responded to in a befitting manner and in a stronger way.”

He further said: “The nation is united, the resolve of the leadership is in front of you in the NSC press release … I must compliment all political parties represented in the federation, all federating units, in the Senate … there is a unanimous resolution … the message is loud and clear.

“In terms of our sovereignty and territorial integrity, there is no compromise and we are one united [nation] with a clear resolve that if provocation takes place then don’t blame us.”

The DG ISPR said Pakistani authorities would take up the case of India’s state-sponsored terrorism with all forums, including the international community.

Questioned about a fight on two fronts, the DG ISPR said law enforcement agencies were “fully capable” of taking on all threats simultaneously and effectively with full force.

“Terrorists are being hunted down. We are vigilant and watching everywhere,” he said with appropriate countermeasures in place for “fitting and decisive responses”.

Questioned about any need for mediation in the matter, FM Dar said: “There is a need for investigation, not mediation. Our friends have offered it and they must be trying. The need of the hour is, because both countries being nuclear, any escalatory move can go to a direction which would be unsustainable not only for the two countries but the entire region so it is my responsibility, of friends and regional actors to make sure India doesn’t make this mistake [of an attack].

“On behalf of armed forces, they’re alert, they’re ready and in a position to give a befitting response and we will choose the time and mode of our liking.”

Meanwhile, the DG ISPR confirmed that Pakistan and India’s military discussed ceasefire violations. He said the two sides held a routine weekly call in which Pakistan “raised the ceasefire violation issue” on Tuesday along the LoC.

Reuters earlier reported that despite the heightened tensions, India and Pakistan’s top military generals held their normal weekly phone call on Tuesday, according to two Indian military sources and a Pakistani official with knowledge of the matter.

“The Indian side objected strongly to unprovoked firing happening from Pakistan,” one Indian source said.

A Pakistani official with knowledge of the matter told Reuters the talks had happened, but gave no details.

The DG ISPR said this routine weekly contact was normally not made public. “We don’t know for what reason the Indians thought it necessary to make it public,” he said.

AJK president calls for international mediation

Meanwhile, AJK President Sultan Mahmood Chaudhry called for international mediation and said that his administration was preparing a humanitarian response in case of any further escalation.

“There is a lot of activity going on and anything could happen, so we have to prepare for it. These few days are very important,” he told Reuters in an interview, calling for rapid international diplomacy to de-escalate the situation.

“We expect some mediation at this time from some friendly countries and we hope that that mediation must take place, otherwise, India would do anything this time,” he said. Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates could be in a position to mediate, he added.

He also said he hoped major players such as the United States and Britain might also get involved.

He said activity along the LoC was “hot” and that Pakistan had shot down two Indian drones in the last few days.

“There had been regular firing by Pakistani and Indian soldiers day and night, though so far there had been no casualties,” he said, adding that Pakistan had also detected Indian Rafale fighter jets flying near the LoC, though they had not crossed.

He said he had not received intelligence on when and where India was expected to strike, but his administration was working with groups such as the Red Crescent Society to prepare extra medical and food supplies in case of any conflict.

“Red Crescent are working on it and we are working on displaced people in affected areas,” he said.

He added that the international community also needed to pay more attention to Kashmir’s long-term future.

“I think this is the right time for the international community as a whole and the UN to play some mediating role in Kashmir,” he said. “It’s been a very long time and the people of Kashmir have suffered a lot.”