By The Sampadak Express
Incarcerated former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday described the recent terror attack in Pahalgam as “deeply disturbing and tragic,” urging India to exercise restraint and responsibility amid heightened regional tensions.
Taking to social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Khan expressed condolences to the victims and their families. “Loss of human life in the Pahalgam incident is deeply disturbing and tragic. I extend my deepest condolences to the victims and their families,” he wrote.
Referring to the 2019 Pulwama attack, Khan suggested that India is repeating a pattern by blaming Pakistan without providing concrete evidence. “When the False Flag Pulwama Operation incident happened, we offered to extend all-out cooperation to India but India failed to produce any concrete evidence,” he stated. “As I predicted in 2019, the same is happening again after the Pahalgam incident.”
Khan cautioned against what he termed “Indian hostility,” warning that escalating tensions in a nuclear-armed region could have dire consequences. “Being a country of 1.5 billion people, India needs to act responsibly instead of messing with a region already known as a nuclear flashpoint,” he said.
While affirming that peace remains Pakistan’s priority, Khan underscored the country’s capability to respond to aggression. “Peace is our priority but it should not be mistaken as cowardice. Pakistan has all the capabilities to give a befitting response to any Indian misadventure, as my government, backed by the whole nation, did in 2019.”
The former premier reiterated his longstanding support for the right of self-determination for Kashmiris, citing United Nations resolutions. He also criticized the Indian government’s 2019 abrogation of Article 370, claiming it had intensified oppression in the region and strengthened the resolve of Kashmiris seeking independence.
Khan, who has been imprisoned since August 2023 in multiple cases, also criticized the current political leadership in Pakistan. He accused ruling figures Nawaz Sharif and Asif Zardari of remaining silent on Indian aggression due to their personal financial interests abroad. “They profit from foreign investments, and to protect those financial interests, they remain silent in the face of foreign aggression and baseless allegations against Pakistan,” he alleged.
He warned that Pakistan’s internal political strife is weakening its ability to confront external threats. “It is high time to put a halt to all actions that are further polarising the nation. The state’s excessive focus on political victimisation at this critical time is deepening internal divisions and undermining the nation’s collective ability to confront external threats,” Khan said.
Despite his criticism of the current government, Khan maintained that recent developments have unified the Pakistani public. “Narendra Modi’s aggression has united the people of Pakistan in one voice against Indian hostility,” he concluded.
