Pakistan’s mainstream political parties, sans the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), on Sunday pledged a joint show of support for the armed forces if India attempts any military strike amidst mounting tensions in the aftermath of last month’s terrorist attack in Pahalgam.
In a joint in-camera briefing, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar and Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry apprised the country’s political leaders on the prevailing situation, as well as the military’s preparedness to avert and respond to any aggression from the neighboring country. Notably absent from the briefing, however, was the PTI, which announced it was boycotting the session.
While there was no official confirmation on the proceedings, local media reported that the participants learnt of Pakistan’s position regarding India’s “false flag operation” in Pahalgam. Tarar and Chaudhry told the politicians that India had failed to convince the world of its allegations, adding Delhi’s actions had validated Pakistan’s stance. The participants were also informed the armed forces were ready to deal with any eventuality from India.
Sharing a brief summary of the briefing with media, Senator Muhammad Abdul Qadir of Balochistan said they were informed of the method by which the attack in Pahalagam occurred. He said Islamabad believed the attack’s primary objective was to deny Pakistan its rightful share under the Indus Water Treaty, intensify aggression in held Kashmir, and use the Afghan Taliban as a shield for Indian terrorism in Pakistan.
The rival countries have been on the brink of war since the Pahalgam attack, with both scaling down diplomatic contacts and closing their shared border to each other. India has announced it is holding the Indus Water Treaty in “abeyance,” while Pakistan has blocked access to its airspace to all Indian owned and operated airlines.
Pakistan has repeatedly called for a neutral probe into the incident, while India continues to blame the neighboring country without offering any evidence of its allegations.