Federal Information Minister Attaullah Tarar claimed early on Wednesday morning that Pakistan has credible intelligence that India intends to launch a military strike within the next 24 to 36 hours.
"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 post on social media platform X.
"Any act of aggression will be met with a decisive response. India will be fully responsible for any serious consequences in the region," he added.
In an official press release shared on the government of Pakistan's official social media channels, the minister said: "Indian self-assumed hubristic role of Judge, Jury and Executioner (sic) in the region is reckless and vehemently rejected," adding that being the biggest victims of terrorism, Pakistan has always condemned it in all its forms and manifestations anywhere in the world.
"Being a responsible state, Pakistan open heartedly offered a credible, transparent and independent investigation by a neutral commission of experts to ascertain the truth. Unfortunately, rather than pursuing the path of reason, India has apparently decided to tread the dangerous path of irrationality and confrontation, which will have catastrophic consequences for the complete region and beyond," the statement read.
It further maintained that evasion of credible investigations was in itself "sufficient evidence exposing" India's real motives. "Consciously making strategic decisions hostage to public sentiments, purposefully trumped up for securing political objectives, is unfortunate and deplorable," the minister stressed.
He siad Pakistan reiterated that any military adventurism by India would be responded to assuredly and decisively. "The International community must remain alive to the reality that the onus of escalatory spiral and its ensuing consequences shall squarely lie with India," he insisted.
"The nation reiterates its resolve to defend the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Pakistan at all cost," the statement concluded.
Also Read: Modi gives Indian military 'free hand' for action against terrorism
Tarar's statement comes a few hours after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a high-level security meeting at his residence in the wake of the recent attack in Pahalgam.
During the meeting, he granted all three Indian armed forces complete operational freedom to take decisive action against terrorism.
The meeting was attended by Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi, Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi, and Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh.
During the meeting, according to sources, Modi reiterated that it was India’s national resolve to deal a crushing blow to terrorism and expressed full confidence in the capabilities of the Indian armed forces.
He assured that the armed forces had complete authority to determine the timing, method, and targets of their response.
Also Read: Khawaja Asif warns India-Pakistan war may break out in 2-4 days
Just a day ago, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif had said that a military incursion by India was imminent in the aftermath of the attack on tourists in Pahalgam region of India-held Kashmir last week.
The attack killed 26 people and triggered outrage in India, along with calls for action against Pakistan.
"We have reinforced our forces because it is something which is imminent now. So in that situation some strategic decisions have to be taken, so those decisions have been taken," Khawaja Muhammad Asif told Reuters in an interview at his office in Islamabad.
Asif said India's rhetoric was ramping up and that Pakistan's military had briefed the government on the possibility of an Indian attack.
Furthermore, on Samaa TV show 'Red Line with Talat' the same evening, Asif had said: "The clouds of war are gathering over the region, with tensions between Pakistan and India reaching alarming levels. A war could potentially break out between the two countries within the next two to four days."
He had stated that if hostilities erupted, Pakistan would respond with full force. Asif told Reuters that Pakistan was on high alert and that it would only use its arsenal of nuclear weapons if "there is a direct threat to our existence".
