Pakistan Defense Minister: Pahalgam Attack Was a Fake Operation; Warns of Full-scale War with India

Afghan Voice Agency (AVA) - International Service: 26 people, mostly Indian tourists, were killed and more than 20 others injured in the attack, which took place on Tuesday, in the Baisaran Valley near Pahalgam. A group called the "Resistance Front" claimed responsibility for the attack, but India has pointed the finger of blame at Pakistan.

 

Khawaja Asif said in an interview with Al Jazeera: "We strongly believe that this attack was a false flag operation." He added that Islamabad has no links with militant groups in Kashmir and strongly denies New Delhi's accusations.

 

Following the attack, India took retaliatory measures, including downgrading diplomatic ties, suspending the Indus Waters Treaty, closing the border crossing and cancelling Pakistani visas. In response, Pakistan closed its airspace to Indian aircraft, halted trade and cancelled Indian visas.

 

Pakistan's defence minister warned that any aggressive action by India would be met with a retaliatory response, stressing that the world should be concerned about the possibility of conflict between the two nuclear-armed countries.

 

Experts say the Pahalgam attack and the reciprocal reactions between India and Pakistan have once again shown that Kashmir remains a sensitive and critical point in relations between the two countries. The mutual accusations, reprisals and warnings of full-scale war have raised serious concerns about regional stability. For Afghanistan, as a country located in the neighborhood of these two nuclear powers, recent developments could have significant security and economic consequences.