Pakistan PM says armed forces ‘prepared to defend sovereignty’ as India downgrades ties over Pahalgam terror attack

Amid Pahalgam attack that claimed at least 26 lives, Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday said the armed forces were “prepared to defend the country's sovereignty”, AFP reported. 

While addressing a military ceremony at army's academy in Abbottabad, Shariff said, “Our valiant armed forces remain fully capable and prepared to defend the country's sovereignty and its territorial integrity against any misadventure as clearly demonstrated by its measured yet resolute response to India's reckless incursion in February 2019.”

This comes after India's punitive steps taken against Pakistan from suspending Indus Water Treaty, 1960, to shutting Attari Check Post to revoking “valid visas” issued to Pakistani nationals.

‘Ready to cooperate’ with probe by ‘international inspectors’

Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif reportedly said his country was “ready to cooperate” with “any investigation which is conducted by international inspectors.” Asif was talking about the terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, that killed at least 26 people.

“We do not want this war to flare up, because flaring up of this war can cause disaster for this region," the New York Times quoted Asif as saying. The report claimed that Pakistani officials have requested the Trump administration to mediate the dispute between India and Pakistan.

Firing across LoC

According to news agency ANI , the Indian Army said an unprovoked small firing was carried out by various Pakistan Army posts all across the Line of Control (LoC) in Kashmir on night of the April 25th-26th , which was met by Indian troops' retaliation appropriately with small arms. No casualties were reported. It followed Pakistan's “initiated arms firing” yesterday.

PM Modi on Pahalgam attack

In his Bihar speech, PM Modi vowed that the terrorists and conspirators behind it will be punished beyond their imagination. “Today, on the soil of Bihar, I say to the whole world, India will identify, trace and punish every terrorist and their backers. We will pursue them to the ends of the Earth. India's spirit will never be broken by terrorism,” Modi said.