Islamabad, April 29, 2025: Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar asserted on Tuesday that while Islamabad would not initiate hostilities against India, it would respond with full force to any act of escalation by its eastern neighbour.
Speaking in the Senate amid heightened regional tensions following the deadly April 22 attack in Pahalgam, Indian-administered Kashmir, Dar categorically rejected India’s allegations that Pakistan was behind the assault, which killed 26 tourists.
“Pakistan will not be the first to strike,” Dar told lawmakers. “But if India chooses to escalate, our response will be stronger than their action. This will not be a tit-for-tat.”
India’s reaction to the attack has included the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), the expulsion of Pakistani diplomats, and the closure of key bilateral channels. Islamabad responded by reciprocating the diplomatic expulsions and calling for a neutral, internationally supervised investigation into the Pahalgam incident.
Dar, who also leads Pakistan’s diplomatic outreach efforts, said he had spoken with the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, China, the United Kingdom, Türkiye, Azerbaijan, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Hungary — noting that in Qatar’s case, he directly communicated with the Prime Minister.
“I briefed them on India’s mindset, its historical patterns, and our serious concerns about its intentions,” he said.
Citing intelligence reports, Dar said India appeared to be contemplating some form of military or diplomatic escalation. Drawing parallels to the 2019 Pulwama incident — which India used as a pretext to revoke Article 370 and strip Jammu and Kashmir of its special status — Dar warned that history might be repeating itself.
He also raised doubts about India’s decision to suspend the decades-old Indus Waters Treaty, alleging that New Delhi had been looking for an excuse to walk away from the agreement for over two years.
“I, like many others, suspect that this entire drama [the Pahalgam attack] may have been staged to justify the suspension of the treaty,” Dar said. “While we don’t have concrete evidence to prove this, what we can state with full confidence is that Pakistan had no involvement in the attack.”
The deputy prime minister also lauded China and Türkiye for expressing unequivocal support for Pakistan during the crisis.
