Pakistan believes that the recent killing of 26 people at a tourist destination in Indian-administered Kashmir requires an international investigation, and the country is prepared to assist any global inquiry, according to a report by The New York Times on Friday, citing Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif.
In the interview, Asif stated that Pakistan is “ready to cooperate” with “any investigation that is conducted by international inspectors.”
India has alleged Pakistani involvement in the Tuesday attack, while Islamabad has firmly denied any role. Both countries lay claim to the contested mountainous region, although each governs a portion of it.
Following the attack, tensions between the nuclear-armed rivals have escalated. India has suspended the Indus Waters Treaty, a crucial water-sharing agreement, while Pakistan has closed its airspace to Indian flights.
Asif claimed India is using the aftermath of the attack as a justification to withdraw from the treaty and to further political interests at home.
He said India is taking retaliatory measures “without any proof, without any investigation.”
“We do not want this war to flare up, because the flaring up of this war can cause disaster for this region,” Asif warned.
A little-known militant outfit, Kashmir Resistance, took responsibility for the attack in a social media post.
However, Indian authorities have said that the group—also called The Resistance Front—is a proxy for Pakistani-based organizations such as Lashkar-e-Taiba and Hizbul Mujahideen.
Asif rejected that claim. He asserted that Lashkar-e-Taiba is “defunct” and has no operational capability from Pakistan-controlled areas.
“They don’t have any setup in Pakistan,” he told the newspaper.
“Those people, whatever is left of them, they are contained. Some of them are under house arrest, and some of them are in custody. They are not at all active,” he added.
