Amid rising tensions with India, Pakistan’s defense minister declared his country’s innocence in a terror attack that killed 26 people this week in Kashmir territory.
Pakistan’s defense minister on Friday declared his country’s innocence in a terror attack that killed 26 people this week in disputed Kashmir territory controlled by India, and said that an international investigation into the attack was needed.
In an interview, the minister, Khawaja Muhammad Asif, said that the country was “ready to cooperate” with “any investigation which is conducted by international inspectors.”
The minister’s remarks appeared to be aimed at defusing tensions with India, after armed militants attacked a tourist group on Tuesday near Pahalgam, a town in the southern part of Kashmir. It was the deadliest terror attack on Indian-administered land in years.
In the days since, India has moved quickly to take steps against Pakistan, which also controls part of Kashmir, including by closing border crossings and suspending a crucial water pact. Officials in India have said they suspect the involvement of at least two Pakistani nationals in the attack.
Mr. Asif said that India had used the aftermath of the terror attack as a pretext to suspend the water treaty, and for domestic political purposes. India, he said, was taking steps to punish Pakistan “without any proof, without any investigation.”
Pakistani officials have asked the Trump administration to mediate the dispute.