ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Tuesday categorically rejected the allegations by a senior Indian Army officer that Pakistan attempted to target the Golden Temple, through drones and missiles on the intervening night of May 7 and 8, 2025.

“We categorically reject the allegations that Pakistan attempted to target the Golden Temple, the most revered place in the Sikh faith. We hold all places of worship in the highest esteem and cannot think of targeting a holy site like the Golden Temple,” Foreign Office spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan said in a statement.

He said that in fact, it was India that targeted different places of worship in Pakistan on May 6-7 night. The allegations levelled by India side cannot shift attention from this unacceptable act, he added.

The spokesperson said that Pakistan was the proud custodian of many holy sites of the Sikh faith.

He said that Pakistan also provides visa-free access to the Gurdwara Sahib Kar­tarpur through the Kart­arpur Corridor. In that backdrop, any claim concerning Pakistan’s attempt to target the Golden Temple is absolutely baseless, he said.

On Monday, the FO dismissed reports of the Indian media claiming that Paki­stan had used nuclear-capable Shah­een missiles. He said that the Indian army dele­ted the “misleading vid­eo” after realising that the claim was “unsubstantiated”.

“These fabricated stories align with New Delhi’s ongoing efforts to promote a misleading narrative rega­rding the ceasefire and baseless allegations of so-called ‘nuclear blackmail’ by Pakistan,” the FO spokesperson said.

Published in Dawn, May 21st, 2025