Islamabad: Pakistan’s military rejected on Tuesday India’s accusations linking it to the deadly Pahalgam attack in Jammu and Kashmir, which killed 26 people, mostly tourists.
Addressing a press conference in the garrison city of Rawalpindi, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) head Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry accused India of sponsoring terrorism in Pakistan, particularly Balochistan, while presenting limited evidence. The sharp exchange of allegations has deepened the India-Pakistan rift, raising concerns about a broader confrontation.
Chaudhry revealed the arrest of Abdul Majeed near Jhelum on April 25, alleging he was trained in India to carry out terrorist activities in Pakistan. Authorities recovered a drone, an IED, and Rs 25,000 (approximately $90) in cash from Majeed, which Chaudhry claimed was proof of India’s covert operations. “India is actively supporting terrorist networks on Pakistani soil,” he alleged, challenging New Delhi to substantiate its claims about Pakistan’s involvement in the Pahalgam attack. “Seven days have passed, and India has failed to provide a single shred of evidence,” he added.
However, Pakistan’s evidence lacks detailed substantiation, raising questions about its weight.
India, too, has accused Pakistan of orchestrating the Pahalgam attack without publicly disclosing evidence. In response, India announced the suspension of the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty, closed the Attari and Wagah borders, and recalled its defence attachés from Islamabad. Pakistan rejected India’s treaty suspension, closed its airspace to Indian flights, and warned that disrupting its water rights would be an “act of war”.
Analysts warn that the current standoff risks spiraling
into a broader conflict. The Indus Waters Treaty, a rare success in India-Pakistan diplomacy, has survived previous tensions, and its suspension could have catastrophic consequences for Pakistan, a lower riparian state dependent on the Indus river system.
Pakistan’s allegations of Indian-sponsored terrorism, while serious, also demand scrutiny. The evidence presented – centered on Majeed’s arrest – lacks granular detail, and Islamabad’s narrative risks being dismissed as tit-for-tat rhetoric. Both nations’ reliance on public accusations over backchannel diplomacy underscores the erosion of trust.