'Pahalgam Attack Was Original Escalation; Pakistan Targeted Gurdwara In J&K': Foreign Secretary Counters Disinformation

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri on Thursday (8 May) held a press conference to counter the disinformation being spread by Pakistan after India conducted airstrikes at terror installations under Operation Sindoor.

He reiterated that the Pahalgam attack on 22 April, which claimed 26 lives, was the 'original escalation' and India is only responding to it and not escalating the matters, as said by Pakistan's leadership and several world leaders.

Misri also reiterated that India believes that Pakistan-backed The Resistance Force (TRF) is responsible for the Pahalgam attack and that India's airstrikes were non-escalatory, precise, measured, considered, targeted and controlled, which did not hit any military or civil establishments.

The Foreign Secretary also rebuked Pakistan's attempt to wash off its hands saying that there are no terrorists in Pakistan and reiterated that Pakistan's reputation as epicentre of global terrorism has several pieces of evidence.

He highlighted Pakistan's Defence Minister and former Foreign Minister's statements acknowledging Pakistan's ties to terrorist groups and declined Pakistan's demand for a joint investigation into the Pahalgam attack, citing the failure of such probes earlier in the 2008 Mumbai and 2016 Pathankot attacks.

Showing pictures of the funeral of terrorists after the airstrikes, Misri asserted that they show that it's not a funeral of civilians as many individuals in Pakistan army uniforms can be seen and the coffins were draped in Pakistani flags. He wondered, "Maybe giving terrorists state funerals is a practice in Pakistan."

Misri also countered the false claim that India targeted religious sites in its airstrikes and said, "Targets were terrorist infrastructure and facilities. Pakistan was misusing religious sites to radicalise, indoctrinate and direct terrorists."

He asserted, that instead, Pakistan is the one targeting religious cites and gave example of gurdwara which was attacked in Jammu and Kashmir yesterday evening, killing and injuring several members of the Sikh community members. The Foreign Secretary said that Pakistan's action has killed 16 civilians and injured 59 others.

He also drew attention to Pakistan Army chief's 16 April speech which had communal flavour and the Pahalgam attack where religious profiling of victims was done and said, "Perhaps, there is a linkage between two events but nefarious designs will not be allowed to succeed in India."

On the Indus Water Treaty (IWT), Misri said that while India has respected it for decades, while Pakistan always blocked and challenged India's legitimate rights and did not respond to our requests for a renegotiation of the treaty. "IWT was concluded in the spirit of goodwill and friendship," he said suggesting that the treaty has been kept in abeyance since that spirit no longer exists.