Pakistan has called for proof that India’s claims that Islamabad was involved in the Kashmir attack are in fact true. It has also requested that Pakistan provide evidence that India has engaged in retaliatory diplomatic actions against India.
In the worst attack in Indian-administered Kashmir in a quarter-century, alleged rebels allegedly killed at least 26 people on Tuesday in the picturesque tourist resort of Pahalgam. The Resistance Front (TRF), a group thought to be an offshoot of the Pakistani-based Lashkar-e-Taiba armed group, was credited with the attack in a statement released in the name of the organization.
In a speech on Thursday, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared his intention to “hunt the Pahalgam gunmen to the “ends of the earth.” In addition to other retaliatory measures, New Delhi has sealed its main land border with Pakistan and suspended India’s participation in a water-sharing agreement.
A day after India withdrew from the Indus Waters Treaty, Pakistan’s prime minister Shehbaz Sharif also halted a canal irrigation project, which has sparked concern about Pakistan’s water supply.
Sharif stated in a statement from his office that while Pakistan is concerned about the loss of tourists’ lives in Indian-administered Kashmir, “the Committee reviewed the Indian measures announced on April 23rd, 2025 and called them unilateral, unjust, politically motivated, extremely irresponsible, and devoid of legal merit.”
attempts to link the Pahalgam attack to Pakistan are frivolous, devoid of logic, and lack credibility, the statement continued.
Later, Pakistan’s defense minister Khawaja Asif stated to Al Jazeera, “I strongly refute the allegations made by the Indian government,” and that the nation has “no connection” to armed organizations operating in Indian-administered Kashmir.
The Wagah border will soon be closed, but Islamabad said it will remain open until April 30. All Indian citizens were given the ultimatum to leave in 48 hours, excluding Sikh pilgrims.
Pakistan also suspended all trade with India and suspended all visas issued to Indians under the SAARC program, reduced the number of Indian High Commission employees there, and made its airspace available to all Indian aircraft.
Kamal Hyder, a journalist from Pakistan’s Haripur, described it as a “tit-for-tat response.”
Because Modi has stated that there will be a swift response, all eyes will be on what India does next. He said that will be crucial because he is meeting with party leaders in India.
Islamabad, he continued, “has not minced its words, either,” by stating that any Pakistani side’s response would also be reciprocated.
“Please don’t believe Kashmiris are your enemies,” the message is clear.
Both Pakistan and India both formally occupy Kashmir, while administering its entirety.
Three suspects allegedly responsible for Tuesday’s deadly attack were revealed on Thursday in India-administered Kashmir and given a reward for information.
For any leads that lead to their capture, an offer of 2 million Indian rupees (roughly $23,000) has been made.
According to police, the suspects are Adil Hussain Thoker, Ali Bhai, Ali Sulaiman, and Hashim Musa (alias Sulaiman).
Police believe Musa and Bhai to be from Pakistan.
According to the testimony of the wife of one of the victims, Thoker, also known as Adil Guree, lives in Kashmir, and is a resident there.
More than 1,500 people have been detained for questioning in connection with the ongoing investigation, according to a senior police official.
Two days after the Pahalgam attack, the region is still tense with increased security and unease.
However, following a shutdown that was observed yesterday, businesses and shops started reopening.
As they took to the streets to denounce the deadly assault, local trade organizations and political leaders had demanded the shutdown.
“Everything appears gloomy,” he said. In the main city of Srinagar, Mehraj Ahmad Malik, who sells dried fruits, said, “We don’t know what the future holds for this place.”
“Everything was roiling two days ago, and now there is fear and silence.”
Omar Abdullah, the chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, expressed his deep regret over the recent attack in Pahalgam, praising the “25 guests who came here to enjoy their vacation” and praising a resident who “sacrificed his life to save the people there.
He told India’s ANI news agency, “The people of Kashmir came out and said the same thing: that they were not at fault for the attack.”