A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave the armed forces complete operational freedom to decide India’s military response to the brutal April 22 Pahalgam terrorist attack, Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar on Wednesday said they have “credible intelligence” that India is planning military action in the “next 24 to 36 hours”.
India has held Pakistan responsible for the deadly terrorist attack on tourists in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam town after security agencies revealed that a former Pakistani Army commando led the carnage on innocent tourists. At least 26 people — mostly tourists from across the country — were killed in the targeted attack.
In a televised statement early Wednesday, Tarar said, “Pakistan has credible intelligence that India intends to carry out military action against Pakistan in the next 24–36 hours on the pretext of baseless and concocted allegations of involvement in the Pahalgam incident.”
He further claimed that Pakistan has been a “victim of terrorism” and has always condemned it in all its forms. “Pakistan has been the victim of terrorism itself and truly understands the pain of this scourge,” the minister was quoted as saying by a leading Pakistani daily. “We have always condemned it in all its forms and manifestations anywhere in the world,” he added.
Interestingly, while Tarar plays the victim, Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Asif recently admitted to training and sponsoring terrorists. In an interview with Sky News after the Pahalgam attack, Asif stated that Islamabad has been doing the “dirty work” for the US and the West, including Britain, for decades.
The Pakistani minister’s claim that India intends to launch military action came a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a key meeting with the three army chiefs, along with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah, Minister of External Affairs S. Jaishankar, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, and the three service chiefs.
During the meeting, the Prime Minister gave the armed forces complete operational freedom to decide on the mode, targets, and timing of India’s military action.