ISLAMABAD:/RAWALPINDI: Federal Minister for Information Attaullah Tarar has warned that Pakistan has credible intelligence that India intends to carry out military action against Pakistan in the next 24-36 hours on the pretext of baseless and concocted allegations of involvement in the Pahalgam incident.
“Indian self assumed hubristic role of judge, jury and executioner in the region is reckless and vehemently rejected,” the minister said in a televised statement late on Tuesday.
He said Pakistan has been the victim of terrorism itself and truly understands the pain of this scourge. “We have always condemned it in all its forms and manifestations anywhere in the world,” he added.
“Being a responsible state, Pakistan open heartedly offered a credible, transparent and independent investigation by a neutral commission of experts to ascertain the truth. Unfortunately, rather than pursuing the path of reason, India has apparently decided to tread the dangerous path of irrationality and confrontation, which will have catastrophic consequences for the complete region and beyond,” he said, adding: “Evasion of credible investigations is in itself sufficient evidence exposing India’s real motives. Consciously making strategic decisions hostage to public sentiments, purposefully trumped up for securing political objectives, is unfortunate and deplorable.”He said the international community must remain alive to the reality that the onus of escalatory spiral and its ensuing consequences shall squarely lie with India. “Pakistan reiterates that any such military adventurism by India would be responded to assuredly and decisively. The International community must remain alive to the reality that the onus of escalatory spiral and its ensuing consequences shall squarely lie with India. The Nation reiterates its resolve to defend the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Pakistan at all cost.”
Earlier in the day, the Pakistan military spokesperson produced before the media some concrete and irrefutable evidence of India’s involvement in sponsoring and executing state terrorism inside Pakistan.
Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lt Gen Ahmad Sharif Chaudhry disclosed at a press briefing that the Indian government has been using its army for executing cross border state sponsored terrorism in Pakistan.
He said a trained Indian terrorist Abdul Majeed was apprehended from near the bus stand of Jhelum city on April 25 when he was about to place an improvised explosive device (IED) there. On the spot, an IED of 2.5 kilogrammes, two mobile phones and Rs70,000 in cash were recovered from him. On further investigation, a drone of Indian origin and Rs1 million cash were found from his residence. “Following detailed investigation and forensic, he revealed irrefutable details which can be examined by any credible independent agency,” he said.
The ISPR DG said that Abdul Majeed executed IED terror acts and he used to receive the explosive device through drones from his handler namely serving Subedar Sikhvandar present in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). The military spokesperson further said that Abdul Majeed was mainly handled by serving Indian Major Sandeep Verma and Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) Sikhvandar, who was in touch with him with code name ‘Sikandar’.
During briefing, the ISPR DG also shared with the media photos of Major Sandeep Verma alias Sameer, Subedar Sukvinder, alias Sikander, Havildar Amit, alias Adil Aman and one other official of the Indian Army. These interactions exposed the Indian terror network operating in Pakistan, spanning from Balochistan to Lahore. He said that Major Sandeep Verma, who is a commanding officer currently serving in the IIOJK, is managing the whole cross-border terrorism activity inside Pakistan. Major Sandeep belongs to the Indian Army and not RAW, who is saying that they are carrying out terrorism activities from Balochistan to Lahore. “Just look at professionalism and conduct of officers, JCOs and soldiers,” Gen Sharif said, adding that the Indian government is tasking its army with such activities.
On the occasion, an audio recording of Major Sandeep at the time of hiring Abdul Majeed was presented, telling the terrorist (Abdul Majeed) that they have been carrying out terrorist acts in Pakistan from Balochistan to Lahore. “I am not here for a few days rather will be here for years to continue terror acts across the border,” Major Sandeep told Abdul Majeed.
Major Sandeep further told Abdul Majeed that he would make payments in parts through different persons and ways so that the transactions do not draw attention of ISI, any other agency or cybercrimes wing. “This is what you call irrefutable evidence of state sponsored terrorism,” the ISPR DG said while producing audio calls and whatsapp chats between Abdul Majeed and his handlers following forensic audit of two mobile phones record from him.
A video was also shown at the briefing which the Indian handler sent to Abdul Majeed as to how to use an IED to conduct terror act.
He said that seven days have passed since the Pahalgam incident but not a shred of evidence has been provided to support the baseless allegations being leveled by India against Pakistan. “This is how India has been found operating and sponsoring cross-border terrorism inside Pakistan in which explosives, IEDs and other materials are being provided to terrorists to target military persons but also civilians,” the ISPR DG said.
He said it was just one small part of state-sponsored terrorism being carried out by India.
Abdul Majeed was delivered the first IED on September 24, 2024 which was exploded on an army vehicle in Pir Kanthi in district Bagh, injuring three soldiers. He received Rs180,000 as payment in different transactions.
On November 22, another IED was to be dropped in Head Marala but the drone crashed and it was the same which was later recovered from Abdul Majeed’s home. However, he collected another IED and targeted an army vehicle in Jalalpur Jattan, resulting in Shahahdat of four soldiers on November 30. He received Rs666,000 for this task.
The handlers dropped the third IED in Kotli. However, Abdul Majeed could not collect the same due to the presence of security personnel and the same IED was picked up by some civilians. On that, the Indian media and social media started running fake news that Indian forces recovered and defused five IEDs in the IIOJK and foiled terror act.
The fourth IED was dropped in Nadala and Abdul Majeed through an audio was asked to execute an IED blast at a bus stand in Barnala. However, Abdul Majeed suggested to conduct blast at Jhelum bus stand. However, he was apprehended from Jhelum bus stand by law enforcement agencies when he was to conduct the IED blast on April 25. He was paid Rs180,000 as advance payment.
“You are hearing this audio that a JCO of Indian Army telling Abdul Majeed to execute terror act against civilians. They are no other than but serving commissioned officers, JCOs and soldiers of Indian Army. This is called Indian cross-border, state-sponsored terrorism,” he said, adding that irrefutable evidence proves that India has been waging state-sponsored cross-border terrorism against Pakistan.
He pointed out in post-Pahalgam activities, on credible information, the largest number of Khwarij who were sponsored, abetted and facilitated by the Indians tried to infiltrate from the Pak-Afghan border and they were taken on and 71 have been killed so far.
The ISPR director general expressed his admiration for the resilient people of Pakistan, as well as the country’s law enforcement agencies, intelligence agencies and armed forces, for facing challenges bravely on a daily basis. He affirmed that nothing could undermine Pakistan.
He said that a detailed media briefing about the ongoing situation would be arranged on Wednesday (today).
Pakistan Army shot down two Indian quadcopters while conducting surveillance along the Line of Control (LoC) on Tuesday, the security sources said. Pakistan Army shot down an Indian quadcopter of 5 Assam Regiment, violating Pakistani airspace in Bhimber area’s Manawar Sector. Later, the Army shot down another Indian quadcopter conducting surveillance in Satwal sector along the LoC. The sources said Pakistan Army is always ready to give an immediate and effective response to any aggression from the enemy.
Indian and Pakistani soldiers exchanged gunfire in disputed Kashmir for a fifth straight night, New Delhi’s army said Tuesday. The Indian Army said its soldiers and Pakistani forces fired at each other overnight along the Line of Control. There was no immediate confirmation from Pakistan.
On Tuesday, UN chief Antonio Guterres called Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on Tuesday to urge the two countries to de-escalate tensions after a deadly attack last week in the IIOJK. Guterres “expressed his deep concern at rising tensions between India and Pakistan and underscored the need to avoid a confrontation that could result in tragic consequences. He offered his Good Offices to support de-escalation efforts,” his spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.
During the telephone call, PM Shehbaz categorically rejected any attempt to link Pakistan with the Pahalgam incident and reiterated his call for a transparent and neutral investigation into the incident.
Meanwhile, AFP reported from Washington, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will urge his Indian and Pakistani counterparts not to escalate, his spokeswoman said Tuesday. “We are reaching out to both parties and telling, of course, them to not escalate the situation,” State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce told reporters. “The secretary expects to speak with the foreign ministers of Pakistan and India as early as today or tomorrow,” she said. “He is encouraging other national leaders, other foreign ministers, to also reach out to the countries on this issue,” she said.
Britain said it is “playing our role” to ensure tensions do not escalate between India and Pakistan following the “horrific terrorist attack” in Kashmir. Foreign Office minister Hamish Falconer, replying to an urgent question, told the House of Commons that the terrorist attack in Pahalgam in the IIOJK was devastating. “Our thoughts are with those affected, their loved ones and of course the people of India.”
MPs heard India and Pakistan have announced diplomatic measures against each other, with Falconer warning it is a “very sensitive situation with real risks to regional and wider stability. Heightened tensions between India and Pakistan inevitably raise concerns about escalation. Effective channels of engagement to safeguard stability in the region are essential.”
“We are playing our role to ensure the tensions do not escalate. Many of us in this House are familiar with the tense and storied history between the two countries, we are friends to them both and we do not want to see uncontrolled escalation in tensions.”
As a precaution, Pakistan International Airline (PIA) has decided to avoid Indian airspace, its spokesperson said.
Meanwhile, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given India’s military “operational freedom” to respond to Pahalgam attack, a senior government source told AFP on Tuesday. Modi told army and security chiefs in a closed-door meeting Tuesday that the armed forces had the “complete operational freedom to decide on the mode, targets and timing of our response to the terror attack on civilians in Kashmir”, the source said. Modi also said that it was India’s “national resolve to deal a crushing blow to terrorism”, the source added.
