Islamabad: Amid escalating tensions following an incident in Kashmir, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif spoke with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, accusing India of “escalatory and provocative behavior,” according to a statement released by his office.
Sharif conveyed to Rubio that “India’s provocations would only serve to distract Pakistan from its ongoing efforts to defeat terrorism, particularly from militant groups.”
The call comes as both sides reported exchanging gunfire for the sixth consecutive night along the Line of Control (LoC), the heavily fortified de facto border dividing Kashmir.
According to a senior Indian government official, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a closed-door meeting on Tuesday, granted the military “complete operational freedom” to respond to the recent incident.
Pakistan’s government has vehemently denied any involvement in the incident and has warned that “any act of aggression will be met with a decisive response.”
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar stated early on Wednesday that “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.”
Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar reiterated that Pakistan would not initiate any attack.
The rising tensions between the two nuclear-armed nations have raised international concerns, with calls for de-escalation and diplomatic solutions.
