Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given India’s military full freedom to respond to the deadly attack in Pahalgam, located in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), according to a senior Indian government official who spoke to AFP on Tuesday. The decision came after India blamed Pakistan for the attack, but no evidence was shared publicly. This has further increased tension between the two nuclear-armed countries.
Modi had a closed-door meeting with army and security officials on Tuesday. He instructed them to independently decide the “mode, targets and timing” of the response. The government later released a video showing Modi in a serious discussion with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and senior military leaders.
Tension at the LoC
Meanwhile, firing continued along the Line of Control (LoC), with India accusing Pakistan of “unprovoked” small arms fire for the fifth straight night. Pakistan’s army shot down two Indian drones that had violated its airspace. India did not respond publicly as of the time this report was written.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres spoke on the phone with Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and India’s Foreign Minister. He expressed “deep concern” about the rising tension. PM Shehbaz condemned terrorism in all forms but said India’s accusations were “baseless.” He asked for a transparent and neutral investigation into the Pahalgam attack and warned against India’s attempts to delegitimise the Kashmiri freedom struggle.
Read more: US Calls for Peace Talks Between India and Pakistan
Shehbaz also said India’s use of water as a weapon was unacceptable and reminded that water is vital for 240 million people in Pakistan. He warned, “Pakistan will defend its sovereignty with full force against any Indian misadventure” and urged the UN chief to advise India to “act responsibly and exercise restraint.” Guterres praised Pakistan’s efforts for peace and said the world could not afford conflict between two nuclear states.
The April 22 attack in Pahalgam killed 26 civilians, making it one of the deadliest in years. India issued wanted posters for three suspects, including two Pakistanis and one Indian. A reward of two million rupees has been announced for each. Indian forces are arresting people across the region.
Pakistan’s military spokesperson, DG ISPR Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, held a press conference in Rawalpindi on Tuesday. He said Indian army officers were involved in cross-border terrorism and supplying explosives to attackers. “Seven days have passed since the Pahalgam incident, and so far, India has not presented any evidence for its baseless allegations,” he said. He added that India is running a terror network in Pakistan, giving militants IEDs, explosives and money. “This irrefutable evidence is just one small part of India’s state-sponsored terrorism,” he stated.
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