Jailed Imran Khan Condemns Pahalgam Attack, Warns India of Nuclear Flashpoint and Pakistan’s Retaliatory Strength
Intro: A Strong Rebuke Amid Escalating Tensions
Jailed former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has reacted sharply to the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, 2025, which killed 26 people, mostly Indian tourists. In a statement posted on X on April 29, Khan called the attack “deeply disturbing and tragic” while cautioning India against any “misadventure,” warning that the region is a “nuclear flashpoint” and asserting Pakistan’s capability to deliver a “befitting response.”
By New Delhi Post Desk, New Delhi:
Imran Khan, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief who has been incarcerated since August 2023 on multiple charges, extended condolences to the victims of the Pahalgam attack, stating, “Loss of human life in Pahalgam incident is deeply disturbing and tragic. I extend my deepest condolences to the victims and their families.” However, he quickly shifted to a critical tone, accusing India of blaming Pakistan without evidence, drawing parallels to the 2019 Pulwama attack. “When the False Flag Pulwama Operation incident happened, we offered to extend all-out cooperation to India, but India failed to produce any concrete evidence. As I predicted in 2019, the same is happening again after Pahalgam incident,” Khan said.
Warning of a Nuclear Flashpoint and Pakistan’s Resolve
Khan emphasized the volatile nature of the region, urging India to act responsibly: “Being a country of 1.5 billion people, India needs to act responsibly instead of messing with a region already known as ‘nuclear flashpoint.’” He added, “Peace is our priority, but it should not be mistaken as cowardice. Pakistan has got all the capabilities to give a befitting response to any Indian misadventure, as my government, backed by the whole nation, did in 2019.” Khan’s reference to 2019 alludes to the heightened tensions following the Pulwama attack, where Pakistan shot down an Indian warplane after India conducted airstrikes in Balakot, an incident that brought the two nations close to a nuclear confrontation, as noted by former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in his memoir.
Criticism of India’s Kashmir Policy and Internal Pakistani Leadership
Khan reiterated his stance on Kashmir, claiming that “Indian oppression in Kashmir, intensified after the illegal abrogation of Article 370, has further fuelled the Kashmiri people’s desire for freedom.” He also criticized Pakistan’s current leadership, particularly PML-N head Nawaz Sharif and President Asif Zardari, accusing them of remaining silent due to their “illegal wealth and business interests abroad.” Khan alleged, “They profit from foreign investments, and to protect those financial interests, they remain silent in the face of foreign aggression and baseless allegations against Pakistan.” He called for national unity, stating, “To win the war against an external enemy, the nation must first be united,” and urged a halt to “political victimization” that he believes is deepening internal divisions in Pakistan.
Pakistan’s Defensive Posture Amid Rising Tensions
Khan’s statement comes at a time when Pakistan’s government has heightened its defensive rhetoric. On the night of April 29-30, Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar claimed, “Pakistan has credible intelligence that India intends to launch a military strike within the next 24 to 36 hours using the Pahalgam incident as a false pretext,” adding that “any act of aggression will be met with a decisive response.” This follows Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s decision on April 29 to grant the Indian armed forces “complete operational freedom” to respond to the attack, which India has attributed to Pakistan-backed militants from The Resistance Front (TRF), a proxy of Lashkar-e-Taiba. The escalating rhetoric on both sides, coupled with Khan’s invocation of a nuclear flashpoint, underscores the precarious state of India-Pakistan relations as of April 30, 2025.
