ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Thursday rejected India’s “weaponization” of false narratives for domestic political purposes, urging New Delhi to act responsibly amid heightened regional tensions.
The statement from the Foreign Office comes at a sensitive time for global security, with South Asia tensions persisting months after the May 2025 India-Pakistan conflict and the world already grappling with instability in the Middle East, raising broader concerns about escalation.
In its statement, the Foreign Office said it was “deplorable” that India had resorted to “baseless allegations” linking Pakistan to the Pahalgam incident, despite ongoing diplomatic efforts aimed at regional and international peace.
“It is unfortunate that, in the midst of an ongoing regional crisis, India remains focused on weaponizing its false narrative against Pakistan for narrow domestic political gains,” the statement said.
The response followed remarks by Indian officials marking the anniversary of the Pahalgam attack, in which 26 people were killed on April 22 last year when gunmen opened fire on tourists in Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
At the time, Pakistan had expressed condolences to the victims’ families and wished the injured a speedy recovery.
The Foreign Office said the latest allegations were part of a recurring pattern, accusing India of creating a “smokescreen” to deflect attention.
“Such allegations constitute yet another chapter from India’s playbook of creating a smokescreen for its continued sponsorship of terrorism across the region,” the statement issued on Thursday said, referring to what it called India’s “misplaced adventurism” and Pakistan’s response through Operation “Bunyan-um-Marsoos.”
It added that such “propaganda campaigns” could not divert international attention from New Delhi’s continued occupation of Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir and denial of the right to self-determination to Kashmiris, “in violation of relevant UN resolutions.”
The statement further accused India of undermining regional stability through “inflammatory rhetoric, repeated provocations, and aggressive military posturing,” and criticized New Delhi’s unilateral move to hold the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance, terming it a violation of international law.
Pakistan called on the international community to take note.
“We hope that the international community will call on India to demonstrate responsible behaviour and to refrain from all rhetoric and actions that may serve as a spoiler to ongoing efforts aimed at regional and international peace and security,” the Foreign Office said.
Separately, India’s opposition Congress party also weighed in, with General Secretary Jairam Ramesh criticizing Pakistan in a post on X, calling it a “failed state” and linking it to broader regional concerns, reflecting sharp political rhetoric on both sides.
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