Pakistan said the intelligence shows that India plans military action against it in the next 24 to 36 hours “on the pretext of baseless and concocted allegations of involvement. There was no immediate comment from Indian officials. However, Indian government officials said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has “given complete operational freedom to the armed forces to decide on the mode, targets and timing of India’s response to the Pahalgam massacre.” They spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive deliberations. Last week’s attack that killed 26, most of them Indian tourists, was claimed by a previously unknown militant group calling itself the Kashmir Resistance. New Delhi describes all militancy in Indian-controlled Kashmir as Pakistan-backed terrorism. Pakistan denies this, and many Muslim Kashmiris consider the militants to be part of a homegrown freedom struggle.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, in separate calls with India and Pakistan, stressed the need to “avoid a confrontation that could result in tragic consequences.” U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke to Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and “emphasized the need for both sides to continue working together for peace and stability in South Asia,” according to a Pakistan statement. (Read more)
