Pakistan Calls for International Probe into Pahalgam Attack Amidst Tensions with India

Pakistan Calls for International Probe into Pahalgam Attack Amidst Tensions with India

The Pakistan Senate unanimously passed a resolution that strongly condemned India’s attempt to link Pakistan to the attack.

By RMN News Service

Islamabad, Pakistan – Pakistan is seeking an “international probe” into the recent deadly attack in India-held Kashmir. This comes as the country faces scrutiny following punitive actions taken by India over the incident.

The attack occurred on April 22, 2025, in Pahalgam, a popular tourist area which, according to Pakistan is in the “Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir”. Gunmen killed at least 26 people and injured 17 in the Pahalgam attack. The victims were reported to be men from across India, with one exception from Nepal.

Pakistan has denied any role in the killings. Following India’s moves over the attack, Pakistan’s defence minister, Khawaja Muhammad Asif, stated that Islamabad was “ready to cooperate” with any investigation carried out by “international inspectors”. This statement was reportedly made to the New York Times.

Separately, on April 25, 2025, the Pakistan Senate unanimously passed a resolution that strongly condemned India’s attempt to link Pakistan to the attack. The resolution explicitly rejected “all frivolous and baseless attempts” to connect Pakistan with the Pahalgam attack.

The Senate’s resolution also stated that Pakistan “condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations” and highlighted that killing innocent civilians is against Pakistan’s values. It criticised what it termed the “orchestrated and mala fide campaign by the Indian government to malign Pakistan,” viewing it as a “familiar pattern of exploiting the issue of terrorism for a narrow political goal”. Pakistan’s National Security Committee had previously urged India to avoid a “reflexive blame game and cynical, staged managed exploitation of incidents like Pahalgam”.

The sources report that following the attack, New Delhi reportedly took several aggressive actions against Pakistan. This included unilaterally moving to suspend the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty, which the Senate resolution called a “blatant violation of the Treaty which clearly amounts to an act of war”. India also reportedly shut borders and downgraded diplomatic ties, alleging Pakistan’s support for cross-border terrorism without providing evidence.

In response, the Pakistan Senate warned that the country “remains fully capable and prepared to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity against any aggression, including water terrorism or military provocation,” making reference to its response in February 2019.

The resolution declared that “any misadventure by India will be met with a firm, swift and decisive response”. The Senate also affirmed the commitment of the Pakistani people to peace but vowed they “will never allow anyone to transgress the country’s sovereignty, security, and interests”.

The resolution also demanded that India be held accountable “for its involvement in different acts of terrorism and targeted assassinations on the soil of other countries, including Pakistan”. Furthermore, the Senate reaffirmed Pakistan’s unwavering support for “the Kashmiri people’s just struggle for realisation of their inalienable right to self-determination”.

Adding to the context of accusations and denials, social media posts claiming a sketch of a suspect resembled Pakistani cricketer Babar Azam were debunked, with the original sketch not resembling the athlete. This viral image was found to be edited.