ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has convened a high-level emergency meeting of the National Security Committee (NSC) today (Thursday) to discuss its response to actions taken by India in aftermath of a recent attack in the Pahalgam area of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).
In a statement issued shortly after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s return from an official visit to Turkiye, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif announced that the NSC meeting – chaired by the prime minister and attended by the Army Chief Asim Munir along with other top civil and military officials – will be held today (Thursday).
The committee is expected to determine Pakistan’s official response to what Asif described as “steps taken by New Delhi” in the aftermath of the attack.
“The NSC will take important decisions to formulate an appropriate response,” said Asif. He condemned terrorism in all its forms and called on India to conduct a thorough investigation into the incident, warning against levelling baseless allegations.
“India’s baseless allegation against Pakistan for the Pahalgam incident is inappropriate,” Asif stated. “Pakistan is one of the countries most affected by terrorism and has endured this threat for decades.”
He questioned the logic behind accusations that Pakistan could promote terrorism, pointing out the country’s long-standing struggle against the menace.
The minister also raised the possibility of the Pahalgam attack being a “false flag operation”, adding that Pakistan was fully capable of responding to any Indian misadventure.
“People remember what happened to Abhinandan,” he said, referring to the Indian Air Force pilot who was captured by Pakistan in 2019 after his MiG-21 was shot down during Operation Swift Retort by Pakistani military, under the premiership of Imran Khan.
Asif further accused New Delhi of supporting terrorism in Pakistan, particularly in the restive Balochistan province. He also accused India of providing sanctuary and medical treatment to terrorists operating in the province and maintaining links with the banned militant group Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
“Several Indian consulates in Afghanistan had been used to facilitate terrorist activities against Pakistan,” he added.
Officials said the high-level meeting will discuss potential responses to India’s recent actions, as tensions between the two countries have escalated following India’s unilateral suspension of the World Bank-brokered treaty governing the water sharing of the Indus River system between India and Pakistan.
India also announced a range of measures aimed at further restricting ties with Islamabad, including the immediate closure of the Attari-Wagah land border crossing, the only road link between the two countries.
All Pakistani nationals in India have been ordered to leave within 48 hours, and visas for Pakistani diplomats are to be curtailed. The SAARC visa facility for Pakistanis has been suspended entirely, effectively cutting off access to Indian visas. New Delhi has also expelled Pakistan’s defence attaché and declared him persona non grata, demanding the Pakistani High Commission reduce its staff within a week. Indian diplomatic staff in Islamabad will also be scaled back to 30 personnel by May 1, down from 55. The Indus Waters Treaty, signed in 1960, allocates the waters of the three western rivers – the Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab – primarily to Pakistan, while India retains control over the eastern rivers – the Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej.—ZULFIQAR AHMAD & NUZHAT NAZAR
