ISLAMABAD, Apr 27 (APP):Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar firmly rejected India’s propaganda over the Pahalgam incident which is being used to divert global attention from the counter-terrorism efforts of Pakistan.
Addressing the foreign media here Sunday, the minister highlighted Pakistan's position as a frontline state in the war against terror, stating, “Pakistan is a victim of terrorism as no other state has laid down 90,000 lives in the war against terror.”
He highlighted the immense sacrifices made by Pakistan's armed forces, law enforcement agencies, and civilians for both national and global peace, noting the economy has suffered losses in the “hundreds of billions of dollars”.
“We are the wall between the terrorists and the world, and Pakistan needs to be strengthened and supported in its war against terrorism,” he urged.
“We will continue to protect our citizens and the citizens of world, and promote global peace by countering these terrorists which are trying to impose their own ideology in certain areas by spilling blood of civilian and personnel of armed forces,” he remarked.
“To me, the Pahalgam episode seems like a distraction because we are gaining lot of successes in our western regions against these terrorists,” he said while highlighting Indian frustration over economic improvement in Pakistan.
He questioned India's narrative surrounding the Pahalgam incident, pointing out the area's distance from the Line of Control which is over 150km, and also rapid registration of an FIR within 10 minutes of the incident.
“Is that possible for any investigative agency to register an FIR within ten minutes of incident?” he asked, adding it completely negates the standard procedures involving site visits, evidence collection, and forensic analysis.
“Why is it that the FIR is registered within 10 minutes of incident and blame put on Pakistan and it is said that it has been sponsored from across the border,” he said, asking how could a country which is frontline state against terrorism, be held responsible for such events.
“I believe our neighbor has preconceived notion about this incident and may be the sole purpose was to pin the blame on Pakistan,” the minister said, adding “the reason we called for impartial and transparent investigation of incident because our hands are clean.”
Tarar also highlighted internal questions being raised within India regarding the Pahalgam incident, citing reports of victims not receiving timely first aid and questionable social media narratives.
He recalled an interview of the one of the sisters of one of the victims who said her brother was not given first aid after the incident.
Tarar asked “why the photoshoot took place and nobody actually coming to check his vital signs to see if he is still alive.”
“How can a video of an Indian couple be wrongly attributed to a naval officer who was killed in the incident,” he said, highlighting how the couple came on the media later and said “this is us, not that couple which suffered in this incident.”
He asked why India failed to deploy security in the tourist areas while it has deployed 900,000 security personnel across Kashmir.
“You can deploy 900,000 security personnel in Kashmir but unable to have any deployment at the tourist spot to protect your citizens and without proof pin the blame on Pakistan,” he questioned.
“It seems to me the whole episode was done for one of the most valuable resources these days and that is water,” he said, condemning India’s unilateral action to suspend the Indus Water Treaty.
He called the suspension of the treaty as an "immature and childish" act on the part of India.
He cited principles of public international law, saying "when there are two parties in a treaty and they agree with mutual consent... that treaty cannot be revoked, suspended and terminated unilaterally. It has to be done mutually."
He warned that targeting Pakistan's water, crucial for its agrarian economy, would be an "act of usurpation, an unfair and unjust measure."
Tarar affirmed Pakistan's stance, stating, "The Prime Minister and National Security Committee have made it very clear that any attempt to divert or stop water of Pakistan will be responded with full might and power."
The minister cautioned India against misinterpreting Pakistan's stance as weakness.
"Let me reiterate they should not at all take our words as weakness. Pakistan has always defended itself and will continue to do so," he said, referring Pakistan's response post-Pulwama.
“We are very good host and serve the tea on the way out,” he added.
"We are ready and capable to respond any misadventure with full force and might." He assured that Pakistan is briefing international partners on its position and India's lack of substantiated evidence.
He highlighted the plight of Kashmiris in aftermath of the Pahalgam incident who were facing the wrath of India. “Houses are being demolished, people are picked up and detained and women and children subjected to torture under the garb of this incident,” he added.
“We will and we shall continue to support the right to self determination of the Kashmiri people morally, diplomatically and legally,” he stressed.
He said Pakistan has credible and irrefutable evidence of India’s involvement in harboring terrorism and funding terrorists in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
“I would like to highlight the situation in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa which recently you all have witnessed especially the Jaffer Express episode which was an unusual event where hijacking took place,” he noted.
The whole world condemned the hijacking, but India failed to condemn the incident which is yet another proof of its involvement in sponsoring terrorism in Pakistan.
"Why our neighbor refrained from condemning the Jaffer Express incident... why was there hesitation on part of our eastern neighbor to issue a simple statement of condemnation," he questioned.
“India celebrates when Pakistan faces terrorist attacks,” he regretted.
The minister cited the case of Kulbhushan Yadav, "a commissioned officer of Indian navy, involved in espionage in Pakistan and found to be involved in harbouring and supporting terrorists," as proof of India's involvement.
He further pointed to the transnational assassination of Sikh leaders in countries like Canada and the US, and attacks on Pakistan's High Commission in London by individuals backed by Indian state and agencies as evidence of India's extremist ideology and hostile actions.
To a query, he said climate change has affected the world and sitting in Pakistan we contribute less than one per cent of carbon emission globally. When it comes to suffering the consequences of climate change we are the most affected country in the world.
He recalled the flash floods of 2010 which wreaked havoc, billions of dollars of loss occurred and thousands of lives lost.
“Climate change is an issue and to say that we will suspend the Indus Water Treaty seems to me immature and childish step,” he added.
He said as the lower riparian state, Pakistan has rights and could potentially benefit more if the treaty terms were ever reconsidered, though he saw that as unlikely.
Pakistan has been acknowledged by the world and President Trump in his state of union address thanked Pakistan for apprehending a terrorist in its western border, he said in response to another query.
“India is not getting international support as it is expected and Pakistan’s stance of demanding an independent inquiry shown Pakistan has nothing to do with Pahalgam,” he added.
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