J&K attack: Pak Deputy PM calls Pahalgam terrorists ‘freedom fighters’

Even as Pakistan has condemned the recent attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam and denied claims of harbouring terror outfits, its Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Thursday hailed the perpetrators as “freedom fighters”.

Speaking to reporters in Islamabad, Dar, who is also the Deputy Prime Minister of Pakistan, said, “Those who carried out attacks in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam district on April 22 might be freedom fighters”.

The minister’s remarks came a day after India announced a slew of diplomatic offensives against Pakistan and took several counter-measures linking these attacks to Islamabad. The biggest among these were the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 and cancellation of all visas issued to Pakistani nationals.

Addressing the issue of suspending the Indus Water Treaty, Dar said, “240 million people in Pakistan need water… you cannot stop it. It tantamounts to an act of war. Any suspension or encroachment won’t be accepted”.

Dar also cautioned that if India threatens or attacks Pakistan, the country would respond with a similar retort. “If Pakistan is attacked directly, a tit-for-tat reply will be given,” he said.

The Pakistan government also echoed a similar stand and said any move to divert water meant for it under the Indus Water Treaty will be considered an “act of war”.

“Any attempt to stop or divert the flow of water belonging to Pakistan as per the Indus Waters Treaty and the usurpation of the rights of lower riparians will be considered as an act of war,” said a statement released after the National Security Committee (NSC) meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

Escalating the rhetoric, Pakistan Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif claimed that India is planning attacks across Pakistan. “We will make them pay through their noses. If our citizens are harmed by India, Indian citizens will not remain safe either. It will be tit-for-tat,” Asif said.

Terrorists launched a deadly attack on a prime tourist location at Baisaran meadows on Tuesday (April 22), killing 26 people, mostly tourists. The assault marked the deadliest in the Kashmir Valley since the 2019 Pulwama attack. The Resistance Front (TRF), an affiliate of the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), has taken responsibility for the massacre.