'Pakistan has all capabilities': Imran Khan warns India amid standoff
What's the story
Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, who is in prison over corruption charges, has issued a stern warning to India after the Pahalgam attack. "Pakistan has got all the capabilities to give a befitting response to any Indian misadventure," he said. His party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), posted his comments after Attaullah Tarar, Pakistan's Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting, claimed that India is planning military action against Pakistan in the next 24-36 hours.
Modi
'Instead of introspection, India blaming us'
In one post he wrote, "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 the Pahalgam incident. Instead of introspection and investigation, Modi Sarkar is again placing the blame on Pakistan," the PTI chief said.
Social media post
Peace is our priority: Khan
He stressed that India needed 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 the whole nation, did in 2019," Khan said. "I have always emphasized the importance of...Kashmiris' right to self-determination, as guaranteed by United Nations resolutions," he added.
Criticism
Khan criticizes Pakistani leaders for their silence
In another post, Khan slammed the Pakistani leadership for their silence on Indian actions. Nawaz Sharif and Asif Zardari were "self-serving figures" who would never speak out against India because of their illegal wealth and business interests abroad, he said. "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.
Rising tensions
Tensions rise between India and Pakistan after Pahalgam terror attack
Khan's comments come amid fears of possible military action by India in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir that took 26 lives. The incident is being described as the deadliest attack in the Valley since the Pulwama strike in 2019. The attack has exacerbated tensions between India and Pakistan, with both countries taking action against each other.