Pak’s Shehbaz Sharif Breaks Silence Amid Tensions, Know What He Says

Karachi: Breaking his silence on the escalating tensions with India, a rattled Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said he was ready for a “neutral and transparent investigation” into the Pahalgam terror attack but underscored that the country was prepared for any misadventure.

Sharif’s remarks signal a toning down of the rhetoric that has been seen lately by other Pakistani leaders and his ministers, who have accused India of “staging” the Pahalgam terror attack to create a “crisis in the region”. India, which has indirectly held Pakistan responsible for the terror attack, responded with a raft of punitive measures and downgraded diplomatic ties.

India has cancelled the issuance of visas to Pakistanis and closed the Wagah-Attari border. Pakistan has also responded with tit-for-tat measures and closed its airspace to Indian-owned and operated airlines. On the suspension of the Indus treaty, Sharif warned that any attempt to reduce or divert water belonging to Pakistan would be responded to with “full force”.

“Nobody should remain under any kind of false pretence… our armed forces are fully capable and prepared to defend the country and its sovereignty and integrality against any misadventure, as clearly demonstrated by its measured yet resolute response to India in its restless incursion in February 2019,” the Pakistani PM said.

In February 2019, following the attack in Pulwama that left 44 soldiers dead, India launched airstrikes in Balakot, targeting terrorist launchpads. The following day, the Pakistan Air Force retaliated with a strike in the Rajouri sector of Jammu. In the ensuing aerial battle, India shot down a Pakistani F-16 fighter aircraft.