Asia: Pakistan: Expect imminent Indian attack

Following the deadly attack in Indian-administered Kashmir, Pakistan expects an Indian military attack soon, according to a minister. Any aggression would be met decisively by Pakistan, warned Information Minister Attaullah Tarar on Platform X. Pakistan has "credible intelligence" that India is planning an attack in the next 24 to 36 hours, he wrote early Wednesday morning (local time). The attack serves as a mere pretext for India.

"Any form of aggression will be met with a decisive response. India bears full responsibility for any serious consequences in the region," Tarar continued. Pakistan's Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif said in an interview at his office in Islamabad that Pakistan was on high alert but would only use its nuclear weapons "if there was a direct threat to our existence." The Indian Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Armed attackers killed 26 people – mostly Indian tourists – on a mountain meadow in a resort area near the town of Pahalgam in Indian Kashmir last Tuesday. The government in Delhi accuses Pakistan of involvement, a claim the neighboring country denies. Since the attack, tensions between the two rival nuclear-armed powers have increased significantly.

The disputed Kashmir region in the Himalayas is divided between Pakistan and India, but both claim the entire territory for themselves. The origins of the conflict date back to the colonial era. In 1947, the British granted the Indian subcontinent independence and divided it into India and the new Muslim state of Pakistan. The violent partition continues to fuel a bitter rivalry. Since gaining independence, the two countries have fought three wars against each other, two of them over Kashmir.