Imran links Pahalgam blame game to Pulwama, calls for unity

ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Imran Khan used his X formerly Twitter account to term the loss of lives in the recent Pahalgam incident in Indian-administered Kashmir “deeply disturbing and tragic”, while rejecting Indian allegations linking Pakistan to the attack.

In a strongly worded statement issued from Adiala Jail, Khan drew parallels between the Pahalgam incident and the 2019 Pulwama attack, calling the latest accusations a repeat of what he described as “a false flag operation”.

“When Pulwama happened, we offered full cooperation to India, but no concrete evidence was ever produced. As I warned in 2019, the same pattern is now playing out after the Pahalgam incident,” he said, accusing the Modi-led government of “deflecting responsibility through baseless allegations” instead of conducting a serious investigation.

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Khan warned that any escalation would be dangerous in a region he described as a “nuclear flashpoint”. “Peace has always been our priority, but it should not be mistaken for weakness. Pakistan is fully capable of responding to any Indian misadventure, just as my government did in 2019, backed by the will of the entire nation.”

Reiterating his long-standing position on Kashmir, the PTI founder said the people of the disputed region must be granted their right to self-determination in line with UN resolutions. He also condemned what he called the BJP government’s “RSS-driven ideology”, warning it posed a threat “not only to the region but to global stability”.

He criticised India’s August 2019 abrogation of Article 370, calling it an “illegal move” that had further intensified Kashmiri resistance. “Indian oppression has only strengthened the Kashmiri people’s resolve for freedom,” he said.

Turning his canon to domestic affairs as he has done in the past, Khan said the country was being governed by an “illegitimate setup” imposed through “fraudulent Form-47 results”, but noted that Indian aggression had “united the people of Pakistan against a common threat”.

However, he warned that political victimisation was “deepening internal divisions” at a time when unity was critical. “To confront an external enemy, the nation must first stand united,” he said, urging the state to stop actions that were “polarising society further”.

Khan also took aim at political rivals Nawaz Sharif and Asif Zardari, alleging they had remained silent on Indian aggression to protect their financial interests abroad. “They fear that Indian lobbies may freeze their offshore assets if they speak the truth,” he claimed.