Pakistani Envoy Threatens of “More Pahalgams” if “Kashmir Issue Remains Unresolved”
Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, May 4: As empty threats keep pouring in from Pakistan amidst the escalating tension between the two countries over the Pahalgam terror attack, a senior Pakistani envoy on Sunday hinted that the massacre of tourists at the Baisaran valley may not be the last terror strike on India if the Kashmir issue was not resolved.
Stating that the “unresolved Kashmir issue” could lead to further fallout, Pakistan’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Mohammad Faisal, said India continued to deny Pakistan’s support for the aspirations and demands of the Kashmiri people.
“Pakistan firmly stands with the Kashmiri people and their aspirations,” he said, warning, “This issue must be resolved—otherwise, even after Pahalgam, something else can happen.” Faisal further reiterated Pakistan’s demand for a “neutral probe” into the Pahalgam attack, whose responsibility was claimed by Islamabad-based Lashkar terror group.
“We are being blamed for something we have not planned. India must agree to a probe. The truth will be clearly out,” the Pakistani Envoy said. When questioned about US Secretary of State Rubio’s conversation with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif—during which Rubio urged him to condemn the Pahalgam attack—Faisal responded that Islamabad has denounced acts of terrorism on multiple platforms, including the United Nations Security Council.
Tensions between India and Pakistan escalated after the April 22 Pahalgam attack, which claimed the lives of 25 tourists and a local Kashmiri pony ride operator. India announced a series of punitive measures against Pakistan, including the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty. Recently, New Delhi banned all imports from Islamabad.
Meanwhile, the National Investigation Agency is interrogating a local in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, who had opened his shop just 15 days before the terror attack and was missing on the day of the incident.
As part of its probe into the Pahalgam terror attack, the NIA has already questioned over 100 locals in Kashmir. Official sources said the central agency learnt about the local man who did not open his shop on the day of the attack during questioning of other suspects.
“Now, the officials of central agencies and NIA are questioning him and also examining his Internet Protocol Detail Record to get some clues,” sources said. Sources in the central agencies stated that an NIA team has compiled a list of all locals who were present at the scene during the attack and is currently interrogating them. “Since the case is with the NIA, we are providing help to them and sending all the locals to them,” the source said.
“They have so far questioned 100 locals, including pony operators, shopkeepers, photographers and those employed in adventure sports activities… Some of them are learnt to have told investigators that they were spared based on their accent or after the attackers ascertained their faith,” the source added.
Earlier in the week, the NIA questioned a zipline operator seen chanting “Allahu Akbar” in a viral video just before the terrorist attack unfolded in the scenic Baisaran meadow. After interrogation, the zipline operator was given a clean chit.
Last month, the NIA filed an FIR after the Union Home Ministry directed it to take over the investigation of the Pahalgam terror attack from the Jammu and Kashmir Police, in order to probe a broader conspiracy believed to have been orchestrated from across the border.
Investigators are also examining whether the same group was responsible for the killing of three Army personnel in South Kashmir’s Kulgam district in August 2023. The group is also suspected to have carried out an attack in Jammu’s Poonch district in May last year, which resulted in the death of an Air Force personnel and injuries to four others.
