India shied away from investigation as Pahalgam incident was false flag: Tarar 

According to Kashmir Media Service, speaking at a ceremony held in connection with Marka-e-Haq at the Institute of Strategic Studies in Islamabad, Attaullah Tarar noted that a First Information Report (FIR) of the Pahalgam attack was registered “within 10 minutes of the incident, without any inquiry, without anyone going to that spot, without any detailed investigation”.

He said that Pahalgam is located far from the border in a heavily secured area under Indian control, yet Pakistan was immediately blamed, which severely damaged India’s credibility at the international level.

Tarar said that Pakistan’s narrative during the May conflict gained strength right from the beginning because “we expressed the truth at the right forum at the right time”. He said Pakistan’s narrative was boosted when Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif made the offer of a fair, independent and transparent investigation into the Pahalgam incident in April 2025.

“A year has passed, and there has been no response to the prime minister’s offer. And there could not be any response because we knew that it was a false flag operation. “Pakistan proved that our hands are clean, and it was India that shied away from an investigation,” he said.

He said Jammu and Kashmir remains an internationally recognized dispute with UN resolutions in place, and the Kashmiri people’s right to self-determination cannot be denied. He urged the international community to play its role in resolving the issue.

The minister further said that on the pretext of that false flag operation, India resorted to attacking civilians in Pakistan, which further damaged India’s stance, especially at the global stage.

Referring to the brief military confrontation in May last year, Tarar said that the Indian aircraft shot down during the brief military conflict in May last year “brought down Indian arrogance with them and proved to the world, once again, our dominance in aerial battle.” He added that Pakistan acted within its right under the UN Charter to respond to Indian aggression in a firm and decisive manner.

Tarar said Marka-e-Haq belonged to the entire nation, adding that the Pakistani people displayed unity and cohesion by setting aside political differences and standing together as one force during the crisis.

Attaullah Tarar stated that Pakistan had been “a frontline state against terrorism, or a shield or a wall between the terrorists and the rest of the world”, questioning how a country actively combating could itself be accused of promoting terrorism.

“Who is actually blaming Pakistan?” he asked, while referring to allegations of India’s involvement in transnational assassinations. He said India had itself been linked to the killings of Sikh leaders in Canada and other countries. He also cited the case of Kulbhushan Jadhav, an Indian spy arrested in Pakistan in 2016, saying he was found involved in terrorist activities. “When an Indian spy is caught red-handed on Pakistani soil and his involvement is proven internationally, then who is promoting terrorism?” he questioned.

Tarar said India was attempting to mislead the international community by blaming Pakistan for its internal problems and failures. He added while Pakistan told the truth to the world in an effective manner, the Indian media and government made “absolutely absurd” claims. He also acknowledged the role of the Pakistani media, intelligentsia, journalists, academia and analysts, saying they helped project Pakistan’s stance effectively on the global stage. He further commended the youth, mentioning the “meme war” that was witnessed during Marka-e-Haq.

In contrast, he said, “the enemy kept on making mistake after mistake. The entire world saw how their nefarious designs were exposed”.

Tarar said a year after Marka-e-Haq, Pakistan’s relevance, significance and status had elevated at the international level. He added that India, despite spending “hundreds of billions on lobbying and PR campaigns,” had shifted from the slogan of “shining India” to growing international isolation within a year.

“When you base your entire narrative on false information and propaganda, and you externalise your internal issues and internalise your external issues, and you try to create a hegemony within the region, and you assume the role of the bully of South Asia, that can never go well for you,” he said. KMS-20S