Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said Islamabad is open to a “neutral, transparent and credible investigation” into the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu & Kashmir that left 26 civilians dead, including a foreign tourist. Sharif made the comments during a military ceremony in Abbottabad on Friday, adding that Pakistan’s armed forces are “fully prepared” to defend the country’s sovereignty against any aggression.
Sharif’s comments follow remarks from Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif, who told The New York Times that the country is “ready to cooperate” with an investigation led by international inspectors.
India, meanwhile, has already taken a series of stringent steps following the attack, including suspending the Indus Waters Treaty, closing the integrated check post at the Attari border, and ordering all Pakistani nationals who entered via land to exit by May 1. India has also reduced diplomatic representation at the Pakistani High Commission.
In a strong message, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed justice, stating, “We will pursue the terrorists to the ends of the Earth. India’s spirit will never be broken by terrorism. Terrorism will not go unpunished.”
Defence Minister Asif, however, accused India of using the attack for “domestic political purposes” and claimed that punitive actions were taken “without any proof or investigation.”
Tensions between the two countries have escalated sharply since the April 22 attack in Baisaran, Pahalgam, one of the deadliest since Pulwama in 2019.
