Jailed Imran Khan reacts to Pahalgam attack, issues warning to India

Jailed former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan has described the Pahalgam terror attack as “deeply disturbing and tragic”, but also warned India to act responsibly.

According to Hindustan Times, “Loss of human life in Pahalgam incident is deeply disturbing and tragic. I extend my deepest condolences to the victims and their families,” Imran Khan said on his X handle on Tuesday.

“When the False Flag Palwama Operation incident happened, we offered to extend all-out cooperation to India but India failed to produce any concrete evidence. As I predicted in 2019, the same is happening again after Pahalgam incident. Instead of introspection and investigation, Modi Sarkar is again placing the blame on Pakistan,” the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief said, adding that being a country of 1.5 billion people, India needs to act responsibly instead of messing with a region already known as “nuclear flashpoint”.

“Peace is our priority but it should not be mistaken as cowardice. Pakistan has got all the capabilities to give a befitting response to any Indian misadventure, as my government, backed by whole nation, did in 2019. I have always emphasised the importance of the Kashmiris’ right to self-determination, as guaranteed by United Nations resolutions,” Imran Khan, who has been in jail since August 2023 in multiple cases, said.

The former Pakistani PM also claimed that he had been highlighting the fact that “India led by RSS ideology is a grave threat, not only to the region but beyond it”.

“Indian oppression in Kashmir, intensified after the illegal abrogation of Article 370, has further fuelled the Kashmiri people’s desire for freedom. Sadly, the nation has been divided by an illegitimate government imposed through fraudulent Form-47 results.

“And yet, ironically, Narendra Modi’s aggression has united the people of Pakistan in one voice against Indian hostility. While we reject this fake regime, we stand firmly as one Pakistani nation and strongly condemn Modi’s war-mongering and his dangerous ambitions that threaten regional peace,” he said.

Khan further said that to win the war against an external enemy, the nation must first be united.

“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,” he said.