Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General, Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, on Tuesday said that India hadn’t provided a “shred of evidence for its baseless allegations” against Pakistan concerning the Pahalgam attack, adding that India was involved in “undertaking cross-border terrorism inside Pakistan.”
India Blamed for Cross-Border Terrorism Post Pahalgam Attack
India-Pakistan relations have reached an all-time low in recent years after the April 22 attack in Indian-held Kashmir’s Pahalgam area that martyred 26 men, most of them tourists, and was among the deadliest militant assaults on civilians in the Himalayan territory in dispute since 2000. Kashmir Resistance, or The Resistance Front, issued a statement saying it “unequivocally” rejected responsibility for the attack, following a first message claiming responsibility.
After the incident, New Delhi, without any evidence, suggested Pakistan supported the attackers something Islamabad has categorically denied. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has demanded an impartial inquiry into the incident.
Lt Gen Chaudhry added that seven days had lapsed since the Pahalgam incident but, to date, India had not produced a “shred of evidence” for its “baseless allegations” against Pakistan.
“We will present to you how India has been found to operate a terror network inside Pakistan in which explosives, IEDs (improvised explosive devices) and other materials are being provided to terrorists to target not only military but also innocent civilians,” he said.
ISPR Alleges Indian Army’s Direct Involvement in Pakistan Attacks
The army’s spokesperson said the evidence he was presenting was just “one small part” of India’s “state-sponsored terrorism”.
“Four days ago, on April 25, an Indian-trained and sponsored terrorist, who was a Pakistani citizen, was arrested near the Jhelum bus stand from whom one IED, two mobile phones, and Rs70,000 were recovered,” he said, adding that further investigation yielded an Indian-origin drone from his house along with Rs1 million in cash.
The DG ISPR stated that forensic examination of materials recovered indicated “irrefutable” evidence, which could be inspected by any reliable independent agency.
Indian Officers, Terror Links and Forensic Evidence
“The handler was a junior commissioned officer (JCO) of the Indian army, Subedar Sukvinder,” Lt Gen Chaudhry said. “The Indian officer had sent an IED and instructed the terrorist to collect it from a point.
“The evidence I’m putting forth before you [shows] how India is carrying out terrorism in Pakistan [through] serving officers and JCOs of the Indian army.”
He added that additional forensic tests revealed four Indian army personnel to be involved in the incident: Major Sandeep Verma alias Sameer, who is the key handler and an Indian army commanding officer in occupied Kashmir; Subedar Sukvinder alias Sikander; Havildar Amit alias Adil Aman; and another Indian soldier.
He stated that Major Sandeep had employed terrorist Abdul Majeed and broadcast an alleged audio conversation between the two about the method of payment.
“Just see, just hear what is being said by an Indian serving major. He is saying that ‘we conduct terrorism from Balochistan to Lahore’; He is telling the details of entry and how terror financing is carried out,” Chaudhry added.
The DG ISPR added that the audio recording was “what you call irrefutable evidence of state-sponsored terrorism” gathered from just one terrorist cell the military was putting forth in today’s press conference.
Chaudhry added the Indian-trained terrorist had conducted four militancy acts via IED attacks and that the IEDs were delivered through drones.
He stated that it was not the Indian intelligence agency RAW but the Indian army that was carrying out such activities of state-sponsored terrorism.
“The terrorist’s fourth attack took place after the Pahalgam incident,” he said, adding that a location near Nadala was shared with Majeed to retrieve the IED on April 22 and carry out the attack the next day at a populated bus stand.“
DG ISPR on Terrorist being Apprehended
The DG ISPR said the terrorist was apprehended on April 25.
“Post-Pahalgam, because of the designs of terrorism that they have, they tasked all their assets, the terrorists operating in Balochistan, and we have credible intelligence for that, the Fitna-al-Khawarij and the independent terrorist cells … to increase their activity,” he said, using the state-designated term for the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
This, he added, was realized two nights ago when security personnel eliminated 54 terrorists trying to sneak in via the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in North Waziristan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
DG ISPR stated that the number of terrorists eliminated stood at 71 as of now after 17 more were eliminated later.
Earlier today, the Pakistan Army downed an Indian quadcopter drone along the Line of Control (LoC) in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, state media said. The news came as Indian and Pakistani troops reportedly exchanged fire along the Line of Control for a fifth consecutive night, following four years of relative peace.
Indian connections in Jaffer Express attack
Earlier today, the Pakistan Mission to the United Nations said the country had “credible evidence” proving that the Jaffer Express attack was “externally sponsored by its regional adversaries”, according to a press release issued today.
The Jaffar Express train was hijacked on March 11 when Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) terrorists hijacked the Peshawar-bound train carrying 440 passengers, taking them hostage and opening fire.
Security forces conducted a two-day operation, which ended on March 12. DG Chaudhry had announced that all 33 terrorists were eliminated, but no hostages were injured in the last phase of rescue.
