Pakistan has again rejected any link to the April 22 attack in India-administered Kashmir, which triggered a brief military escalation with Pakistan in May.
"The account given by the Indian home minister is replete with fabrications, leading to serious questions about its credibility. Is it a mere coincidence that the alleged perpetrators of the Pahalgam attack were killed at the start of the Lok Sabha (lower house) debate?" Pakistan's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan said in a statement.
Indian Home Minister Amit Shah said the Indian army on Monday killed three gunmen in Indian-administered Kashmir, who were behind the Pahalgam tourist resort attack that left 26 tourists dead.
Shah claimed the slain gunmen were of Pakistani origin.
Islamabad termed the Indian narrative as a “dangerous distortion.”
“Pakistan categorically rejects the baseless assertions and provocative claims made by the Indian leaders during the Lok Sabha debate on the so-called ‘Operation Sindoor.”
The tit-for-tat strikes
The four-day tit-for-tat strikes between the Indian and Pakistani militaries, in which over 60 people were killed on both sides, raised fears of an all-out war between the nuclear-armed neighbours.
Tensions de-escalated after the United States intervened as Pakistan claimed to have shot down six Indian jets, including the French-made Rafale fighters.
On May 7, India struck multiple Pakistani cities with missiles, claiming they were “terrorist camps” from where the deadly April 22 attack on tourists at Pahalgam, in the India-administered Kashmir, was planned.
Islamabad denies any involvement and has called for a joint investigation to establish who was behind the attack.
Pakistan also says that the Indian missile targeted religious institutions and killed civilians.
‘Dangerous distortion’
Islamabad said, “These statements reflect a dangerous tendency to distort facts, justify aggression, and glorify conflict for domestic consumption.”
Meanwhile, the Indian opposition leaders on Monday also cornered Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Shah over security lapses, accountability, and third-party interference, referring to US President Donald Trump’s repeated assertions of stopping war between the two nuclear-armed nations.
Pakistan, on its part, said, “Instead of misleading their compatriots, the Indian leaders would be well-advised to acknowledge the losses incurred by their armed forces and accept the active role played by the third parties in realising the ceasefire.”
‘Collective punishment’
The Indian Home Minister also claimed that Indian forces launched “Operation Mahadev” to track and kill the “three Pahalgam attackers” in India-administered Kashmir and had managed to kill them on Sunday.
The Indian opposition leader, Akhilesh Yadav, however, questioned the timing of the operation, which coincided with debate on India-Pakistan hostilities in the Indian parliament.
A parliamentarian from India-administered Kashmir, Aga Ruhullah Mehdi, addressed the Parliament, criticising the Indian government for what he described as a recurring pattern of collective punishment against the people of Kashmir.
Ruhullah questioned, “Has anyone said today that war is waged with Pakistan later, but first it is always waged with Kashmiris?”
“After the attack, 13 homes were blasted in Kashmir by Indian forces. Over 2000 Kashmiris are in Indian jails. Why?” he asked.
The Pakistan Foreign Office said, “The world knows that India attacked Pakistan without any verifiable evidence or a credible investigation into the Pahalgam attack.”
Pakistan also said it remains committed to peace, regional stability, and a meaningful dialogue for the resolution of all outstanding issues, including the “core dispute of Jammu and Kashmir."