Pahalgam attack: Provincial minister calls it 'false flag drama', says Pakistan prepared for any aggression

A minister in Pakistan's Punjab government on Wednesday said her country is "fully prepared for any possible aggression" from India, implying that New Delhi could retaliate against it over the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people. "Any misadventure by India under false flag pretext will have dire consequences," Punjab's Information Minister Azma Bokhari said in a video clip, and also issued a press release.

The term "false flag" insinuates that India itself was behind the Jammu and Kashmir incident and it is meant to create an excuse for action against Pakistan.

"Last time we served tea - this time might not be so courteous," Bokhari said in the statement.


The reference was to the India Air Force strike at a terror camp in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir after the 2019 Pulwama terror attack.

The IAF retaliation later led to a foiled attack by Pakistan Air Force. An Indian aircraft was downed and Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthman taken prisoner by Pakistan before being sent home after about two days.

"A guest once in a while is tolerable. But if guests become frequent, Pakistan's Army, its people, and its government know how to respond accordingly," the minister said.

She expressed "regrets" over the "recent incident", while claiming it to be "false flag drama". "This is yet another cowardly attempt, just like the ones India has made in the past, aimed at falsely accusing Pakistan," she alleged.

Bokhari said any "military misadventure" by India will be a grave mistake. "Like in the past, Pakistan will give a strong and effective response on every front. We will go to any length to defend our homeland again," she said.

The minister claimed that the Indian people are questioning how such an attack could occur in a highly sensitive region, which she said is under the watch of 7,00,000 Indian soldiers.

On Wednesday, Pakistan Foreign Office condoled the deaths in Pahalgam.

"We are concerned at the loss of tourists' lives in an attack in Anantnag district. We extend our condolences to the near ones of the deceased and wish the injured a speedy recovery," its spokesperson said, responding to media queries.

Terrorists opened fire in Pahalgam on Tuesday afternoon, killing 26 people, mostly tourists. The Resistance Front (TRF), a proxy of the banned Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), claimed responsibility for the attack, the deadliest since Pulwama.