Pakistan claims India planning imminent military strike

Pakistan has claimed it has credible intelligence that India is preparing to launch a military strike within the next 24 hours as tensions soar between the two nuclear neighbours. Pakistan’s federal minister for information and broadcasting Attaullah Tarar said India would be “fully responsible for any serious consequences in the region”. “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,” Mr Tarar said at a hastily arranged late-night press conference on Tuesday.

“Any act of aggression will be met with a decisive response. India will be fully responsible for any serious consequences in the region.” On April 22, at least 26 tourists were killed at Baisaran-Pahalgam in Indian-administered Kashmir, triggering a major crisis between the two countries.



The attack, which no group has credibly claimed responsibility for, was the worst attack on civilians in the country for nearly two decades. India has blamed Pakistan, accusing it of backing cross-border terrorism, and suspended its participation in the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty “until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism”. Pakistan has warned that any attempt to stop or divert the flow of water under the treaty would be considered an act of war.

It denied any role in the attack and called for a neutral investigation. Mr Tarar’s statement came hours after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and top military brass in New Delhi. Modi reportedly gave the armed forces “complete operational freedom to decide on the mode, targets and timing” of India’s response.

Throughout the day, both India and Pakistan engaged in heavy diplomatic outreach, holding private briefings for foreign envoys, speaking with world leaders and issuing public statements targeting global audiences. United Nations chief Antonio Guterres spoke with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar to urge the two countries to de-escalate tensions. Mr Guterres “expressed his deep concern at rising tensions between India and Pakistan, and underscored the need to avoid a confrontation that could result in tragic consequences”, his spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will urge his Indian and Pakistani counterparts not to escalate, his spokeswoman said on Tuesday, as tensions soar between the arch-rivals. “We are reaching out to both parties and telling, of course, them to not escalate the situation,” State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce told reporters. “The secretary expects to speak with the foreign ministers of Pakistan and India as early as today or tomorrow,” she said.

“He is encouraging other national leaders, other foreign ministers, to also reach out to the countries on this issue.” A heavy exchange of fire between the border guards of India and Pakistan was reported along the Line of Control (LoC), the 460-mile de facto border separating the Indian and Pakistani-administered Kashmir, for a sixth straight night. Pakistan said it had downed a drone, amidst fears of escalation growing.

“It’s a highly precarious moment in the region,” Michael Kugelman, Director of the South Asia Institute at the Wilson Center in Washington DC told The Telegraph. “Lots of talk on what an Indian military strike might look like. In reality, India is likely weighing a broad range of possible responses targeting Pakistan, some designed to be highly visible for political impact than others.

Covert actions are likely under discussion, too,” Mr Kugelman said. He warned that the broader mood in India seems to reflect a belief that past responses have failed to restore deterrence. “This time, there appears to be a desire that it needs to be restored once and for all.

Such a view, if applied, would carry escalation risks,” Mr Kugelman added. Authorities in Indian-administered Kashmir closed 48 out of 87 government-approved tourist destinations in the scenic Himalayan region. No timeframe was given for the measure, as panic-stricken tourists sought an early exit.

Indian authorities alleged that Pakistani hackers launched a cyberattack on various websites of the Indian armed forces. The websites were restored later..