'India backs terror, persecutes minorities, and exploits Pahalgam-like attacks,' Pakistan's punch goes beyond Simla with severe allegations

Time of India

25-04-2025

India–Pakistan ties nosedived after the Pahalgam terror attack, with Delhi scrapping the Indus Water Treaty and Pakistan suspending the Simla Pact. But Islamabad's response didn't end there—it accused India of exporting terrorism, persecuting minorities, manipulating Kashmir, and staging incidents like Pahalgam to fuel tensions and push its domestic political agenda.
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Pakistan statement raises Kashmir, blasts Delhi for 'state oppression'
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Was Munir's 'jugular vein' speech a trigger for Pahalgam?
India–Pakistan ties are in freefall after the bloodshed in Pahalgam, with both nations locking horns in a high-stakes showdown. Two Kashmiri operatives, allegedly trained across the border, carried out the attack—prompting India to hit back with muscle: suspending the 1960 Indus Water Treaty and sealing off the Integrated Check Post at Attari with immediate effect.But Pakistan didn't stay silent. On Thursday, it fired back with a full-blown diplomatic and strategic counterattack—suspending the 1972 Simla Agreement , shutting down its airspace to Indian flights, slamming shut the Wagah border crossing, halting all trade, and warning that any attempt by India to reroute water under the Indus Treaty would be treated as an Act of War.These measures followed an emergency huddle chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, where Pakistan's top brass mapped out a hardline response to India's moves.But the boldest punches weren't just the ones making headlines. After the National Security Committee's (NSC) high-level meeting, Pakistan's Prime Minister's Office released a press statement that didn't mince words, laying bare a string of provocative claims and warning shots aimed squarely at Delhi.The National Security Committee, according to Pakistan's Dawn that published the full text of the pres release, said that Kashmir remains an unresolved issue between Pakistan and India, as recognised in several United Nations resolutions. It said Pakistan continues to back the Kashmiri people's right to self-determination. The committee claimed that ongoing Indian state oppression, the scrapping of Kashmir's special status, and political and demographic manipulation have led to a natural backlash from the people of Jammu and Kashmir, fuelling repeated cycles of violence.Morever, it also said, "India's systemic persecution of minorities, particularly Muslims, has become more pervasive. Attempts at forced passage of Waqf Bill is the latest effort to marginalize Muslims across India."The press release also said, "India must resist the temptation to exploit such tragic incidents to its advantage and take full responsibility for its failure to provide security to the people."Pakistan said in the release that it strongly condemns terrorism in every form. It said it has been on the front line in the global fight against terrorism and has suffered huge human and economic losses because of it. According to Pakistan, India is trying to create tension along the eastern border to divert attention from Pakistan's efforts to fight terrorism. It also said that without a proper investigation or solid proof, linking Pakistan to the Pahalgam attack is baseless, unreasonable, and makes no sense."India's worn-out narrative of victimhood cannot obfuscate its own culpability in fomenting terrorism on Pakistan's soil, nor can it distract attention from its systematic and state sponsored oppression and human rights violations," the release said.Pakistan said it holds undeniable evidence of terrorism backed by India, despite India's claims to the contrary. This includes the confession of Commander Kulbhushan Jadhav, an active officer in the Indian Navy, who, according to Pakistan, stands as proof of India's involvement in state-sponsored terrorism.Pakistan, in the release, also raised concerns about what it called India's state-sponsored killings or assassination attempts beyond its borders, urging the international community to stay alert to such actions."These heinous acts were carried out in blatant violation of international law as recently exposed by Pakistan along-with various other states with undeniable evidence. Pakistan will pursue all those responsible, planners and perpetrators alike and ensure that justice is served. Any threat to Pakistan's sovereignty and to the security of its people will be met with firm reciprocal measures in all domains," the statement read.In the statement, Pakistan said India should refrain from its habitual "blame game" and what it described as the "cynical staged managed exploitation of incidents like Pahalgam" to advance a narrow political agenda. Pakistan added that such actions only "inflame" tensions and hinder efforts toward peace and stability in the region.These comments come not only as cross-border tensions are intensifying but also at a time when India's passage of Waqf law had stirred unrest in some parts of the country and Pakistan's army chief General Asim Munir's made pollarising comments on religion and Kashmir.In a speech loaded with historical grievance and nationalistic fervour, Pakistan's army chief General Asim Munir on Thursday urged overseas Pakistanis to instil in their children a sense of national identity shaped by the country's founding ideology.ToI had reported citing a source who suggested the timing of the remarks, coinciding with India's Waqf Act, might be aimed at provoking Indian Muslims and emboldening Pakistan-based terrorist outfits to regroup and destabilise the region.Now, Indian intelligence officials are examining whether a recent speech by Pakistan's Army chief General Asim Munir served as a catalyst for the deadly terrorist attack in Pahalgam. In that address, Munir had described Kashmir as Pakistan's 'jugular vein,' a statement now being scrutinised for its possible influence on the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) proxy group, The Resistance Front (TRF), which has claimed responsibility for the strike.