Jailed Imran Khan reacts to Pahalgam attack, issues warning to India: ‘...nuclear flashpoint’

Jailed former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan has described the Pahalgam terror attack as “deeply disturbing and tragic”, but also warned India to act responsibly.

“Loss of human life in Pahalgam incident is deeply disturbing and tragic. I extend my deepest condolences to the victims and their families,” Imran Khan said on his X handle on Tuesday.

Also Follow | Pahalgam attack news live updates

“When the False Flag Palwama Operation incident happened, we offered to extend all-out cooperation to India but India failed to produce any concrete evidence. As I predicted in 2019, the same is happening again after Pahalgam incident. Instead of introspection and investigation, Modi Sarkar is again placing the blame on Pakistan,” the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief said, adding that being a country of 1.5 billion people, India needs to act responsibly instead of messing with a region already known as “nuclear flashpoint”.

“Peace is our priority but it should not be mistaken as cowardice. Pakistan has got all the capabilities to give a befitting response to any Indian misadventure, as my government, backed by whole nation, did in 2019. I have always emphasised the importance of the Kashmiris’ right to self-determination, as guaranteed by United Nations resolutions,” Imran Khan, who has been in jail since August 2023 in multiple cases, said.

Also Read | Man says terror suspect spoke to him day before Pahalgam attack: 'Hindu ho kya?'

The former Pakistani PM also claimed that he had been highlighting the fact that “India led by RSS ideology is a grave threat, not only to the region but beyond it”.

“Indian oppression in Kashmir, intensified after the illegal abrogation of Article 370, has further fuelled the Kashmiri people’s desire for freedom. Sadly, the nation has been divided by an illegitimate government imposed through fraudulent Form-47 results.

"And yet, ironically, Narendra Modi’s aggression has united the people of Pakistan in one voice against Indian hostility. While we reject this fake regime, we stand firmly as one Pakistani nation and strongly condemn Modi’s war-mongering and his dangerous ambitions that threaten regional peace,” he said.

Also Read | PM Modi's big message on Pahalgam attack: ‘Forces free to decide when, how to hit back’

Khan further said that to win the war against an external enemy, the nation must first be united.

“It is high time to put a halt to all actions that are further polarising the nation. The state’s excessive focus on political victimisation at this critical time is deepening internal divisions and undermining the nation’s collective ability to confront external threats,” he said.

Castigating ruling PML-N head and former premier Nawaz Sharif and President of Pakistan Asif Zaradri, Khan said, “It is naive to expect any strong stance from self-serving figures like Nawaz Sharif and Asif Zardari. They will never speak out against India because their illegal wealth and business interests lie abroad."

"They profit from foreign investments, and to protect those financial interests, they remain silent in the face of foreign aggression and baseless allegations against Pakistan. Their fear is simple: that Indian lobbies might freeze their offshore assets if they dare to speak the truth,” he added.

Khan's comments come even as the Pakistan government claimed that it had “credible intelligence” that India was planning an imminent military strike.

Pakistan information minister Attaullah Tarar said overnight that “any act of aggression will be met with a decisive response”.

"Pakistan has credible intelligence that India intends to launch a military strike within the next 24 to 36 hours using the Pahalgam incident as a false pretext," Tarar said in a statement early on Wednesday.

Relations between the nuclear-armed neighbours have plummeted since last week, after a terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam that claimed 26 lives.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave the military “complete operational freedom” to respond to the attack during a closed-door meeting on Tuesday.