Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday said his country was open to participating in any “non-partisan, neutral, and transparent” investigation into the Pahalgam attack, amid rising tensions with India.
Speaking at the passing-out parade at the Pakistan Military Academy in Kakul, Prime Minister Shehbaz said, “The recent tragedy in Pahalgam is yet another example of this perpetual blame game, which must come to a grinding halt. Continuing with its role as a responsible country, Pakistan is open to participating in any neutral, transparent, and credible investigation.”
Reaffirming Pakistan’s position on Kashmir, Shehbaz remarked, “I also need to underscore the importance of Kashmir, as the Founder of the Nation, Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah, rightly said, Kashmir is the jugular vein of Pakistan. Unfortunately, this globally recognised dispute remains unresolved despite multiple UN resolutions. Let there be no doubt, Pakistan shall continue to support the right of self-determination of the Kashmiri people till they achieve their rights through their great struggle and sacrifices.”
Highlighting the cost borne by Pakistan in the fight against terrorism, he said, “As the world’s frontline state against terrorism, we have endured immense loss, with 90,000 casualties and economic losses beyond imagination, exceeding $600 billion.”
The Prime Minister’s remarks came a day after Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, in an interview with The New York Times, declared that Pakistan was “ready to cooperate” with “any investigation which is conducted by international inspectors”.
Meanwhile, the United Nations has urged both India and Pakistan to exercise maximum restraint. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi issued a stern warning, stating, “We will chase perpetrators to the end of the earth to bring them to justice.”
The attack, carried out on 22 April, claimed the lives of 26 people, most of them tourists, marking one of the deadliest terror incidents in the region in a quarter of a century.
Following the incident, ties between India and Pakistan deteriorated sharply, with India suspending the Indus Water Treaty and Pakistan responding by putting the Shimla Agreement on hold and closing its airspace to Indian flights.
India has suggested a cross-border link to the attackers, while Pakistan has categorically denied involvement, maintaining that the alleged TRF and its parent organisation, Lashkar-e-Taiba, do not operate from its soil.
Countries with diplomatic ties to both India and Pakistan, including Saudi Arabia and Iran, have offered to mediate efforts to de-escalate the crisis. United States President Donald Trump expressed confidence that the two neighbours would “get it figured out”.
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