New Delhi: Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday said his country is ready to participate in a neutral investigation into the Pahalgam terror attack, adding that they will respond with “full force and might” to any stopping of Islamabad’s share of river waters after the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty by New Delhi.
Sharif’s offer to take part in a “neutral, transparent and credible investigation” into the terror attack, in which 26 people were killed, came three days after New Delhi unveiled a raft of punitive measures against Pakistan, including suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, closure of the only operation land border crossing at Attari and downgrading of diplomatic ties.
While there was no immediate response from the Indian government to Sharif’s proposal, Jammu & Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah questioned the legitimacy of the offer. “First they (Pakistan) did not accept that something had happened in Pahalgam. Then they even said it was done by India. They were the ones who first accused us, so it’s difficult to say anything about them,” he said.
This is not the first time that Pakistan has offered to participate in the investigation of a terror attack in India with cross-border links. Following the 2016 terror attack on the Pathankot air force base by Jaish-e-Mohammed that killed eight people, Pakistan sent a joint investigation team, including representatives of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) to India during March 27-31, 2016, to collect, review and document evidence and interview key witnesses and victims alongside the National Investigation Agency (NIA). However, the cooperation produced no tangible results.
{{/usCountry}}This is not the first time that Pakistan has offered to participate in the investigation of a terror attack in India with cross-border links. Following the 2016 terror attack on the Pathankot air force base by Jaish-e-Mohammed that killed eight people, Pakistan sent a joint investigation team, including representatives of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) to India during March 27-31, 2016, to collect, review and document evidence and interview key witnesses and victims alongside the National Investigation Agency (NIA). However, the cooperation produced no tangible results.
{{/usCountry}}HT reported on Saturday citing security officials that Pakistan has failed to act on nearly 20 letters rogatory (or judicial requests), detailed dossiers, even DNA samples of terrorists related to various terror attacks, including 26/11, Pathankot, Pulwama, and Nagrota sent by India.
Sharif, who was addressing a passing-out parade at the Pakistan Military Academy at Kakul in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, alleged that India had made “baseless allegations and false accusations” regarding the Pahalgam attack without a “credible investigation or verifiable evidence”. Calling for an end to the “perpetual blame game”, he said: “Continuing with its role as a responsible country, Pakistan is open to participating in any neutral, transparent and credible investigation.”
Referring to India’s decision to hold the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 in abeyance, Sharif said: “I must also mention here that water is a vital national interest of Pakistan, our lifeline and for our 240 million people. Let there be no doubt at all, its availability would be safeguarded at all costs and under all circumstances.
“Therefore, any attempt to stop, reduce or divert the flow of water belonging to Pakistan under the Indus Waters Treaty would be responded to with full force and might, and nobody should remain under any kind of false impression and confusion.”
On Friday, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari had issued similar threats to India over the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty. “The Indus is ours and will remain ours - either our water will flow through it, or their blood,” he was quoted as saying by the local media while addressing a rally in the Sukkur area of the Sindh province.
Indian leaders condemned his statement and called it empty rhetoric. “I condemn this and I am sure Pakistani nationals also don’t agree with such statements,” Union minister for commerce Piyush Goyal said.
In his address, Sharif said Pakistan’s armed forces are “fully capable and prepared” to defend the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity “against any misadventure, as clearly demonstrated by its measured yet resolute response to India’s reckless incursion in February 2019”.
He was referring to the air strikes carried out by both sides after the Pulwama suicide bombing in Jammu & Kashmir in 2019 that killed 40 Indian troops. The attack was blamed on Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Indian combat jets carried out a cross-border strike to target a camp of the terror group. Pakistan subsequently launched its own air strike and Indian fighter pilot Abhinandan Varthaman was captured when his jet was shot down. The episode brought the two sides to the brink of war. Abhinandan was eventually released by Pakistan.
Sharif brought up the Kashmir issue during his speech at the military academy – an event that has been used by Pakistani leaders in the past to raise foreign policy issues – and told an audience that included Pakistan army chief General Asim Munir and defence minister Khawaja Asif that the country’s founder, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, had “rightly said Kashmir is the jugular vein of Pakistan”.
He contended Kashmir is a “globally recognised dispute” and Pakistan will continue to support the “right of self-determination of the Kashmiri people till they achieve their rights”. Sharif contended Pakistan has always condemned all forms of terrorism and suffered 90,000 casualties and economic losses of $600 billion while fighting terror.
“This nation of 240 million people stands united by and behind our brave armed forces and ready to safeguard every inch of our homeland, Pakistan...Peace is our preference but must not be construed as our weakness. We shall never compromise on our dignity and security of our beloved Pakistan,” he said.
Sharif’s remarks came amid speculation about further measures by India over the “cross-border linkages” to the Pahalgam terror attack, which was the worst attack on civilians in Jammu & Kashmir in two decades and was claimed by The Resistance Front, a proxy for Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). Prime Minister Narendra Modi said this week that those responsible for the terror attack will be pursued “to the ends of the earth”.
Speaking at a rally in Bihar, Modi said that India “will identify, track and punish every terrorist and their backers”. He added, “India’s spirit will never be broken by terrorism. Terrorism will not go unpunished.”
Following India’s punitive measures, Pakistan announced its own counter-measures, including closing its airspace to Indian airliners and suspending all trade with India, including through third countries. Pakistan also said it will consider suspending bilateral treaties with India, including the Simla Agreement, if New Delhi stops or disrupts the flow of cross-border rivers.