Amid heightened tensions with India, Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif visits ISI headquarters

Amid escalating tensions with India after the deadly terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam that killed 26 people, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday visited the headquarters of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) to review the country's preparedness for any possible threat.

Shehbaz Sharif was accompanied by the deputy prime minister along with the foreign minister, defence minister, and top military leadership, a PMO release said.

As per the release, the delegation was briefed on the national security landscape, with a focus on conventional threats stemming from what Pakistani officials claim to be India’s “increasingly aggressive and provocative posture."

The visit comes just weeks after the deadly Pahalgam terror attack, in which terrorists, suspected to have links with Pakistan, opened fire on tourists, killing 26 people, mostly civilians.

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According to a statement from the Pakistani government, the ISI leadership laid out a detailed assessment of regional dynamics and evolving threat scenarios.

Prime Minister Sharif also emphasised the urgency of “heightened national vigilance” and called for seamless coordination across all security and intelligence agencies.

Praising the ISI’s strategic role, Sharif said it enabled the country to take informed national security decision-making under complex and dynamic conditions.

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The PM also said that the entire nation is behind the Pakistani Armed Forces.

India and Pakistan have witnessed heightened tensions since the April 22 terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam that killed 26 people.

Pakistan to increase defence spending: Report

Earlier in the day, Pakistan's coalition government endorsed an 18 per cent increase in defence spending to over ₹2.5 trillion in the next budget due to tensions with India, a media report said on Tuesday.

The government is set to unveil the 2025-26 budget in the first week of the next month ahead of the start of the new fiscal year from July 1.

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The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)-led government shared roughly ₹17.5 trillion worth of new budget framework with its key ally, the PPP, which agreed to 18 per cent increase in the defence outlay.

There was a consensus between the PML-N and the PPP to increase the defence budget due to the recent wave of tensions with India, The Express Tribune reported, quoting sources.