Pakistan won't strike first but there'll be tit-for-tat: Pak Foreign Minister

PAKISTAN'S Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has said that Pakistan will not strike India first but reserves the right to retaliate. While speaking in the Senate on the recent tensions with India on Tuesday, April 29, Dar warned “there'll be tit-for-tat” in case India resorts to any “escalatory move”.

“Eent ka jawab, paththar se diya jayega (The answer to the brick will be given with a stone),” Ishaq Dar was heard saying in a video shared by Pakistan-based ARY news.

Ishaq Dar also mentioned that there were “intel reports” which indicate that India is considering an “escalatory move”.

His statement came as tensions between India and Pakistan escalated following a terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, on April 22. At least 26 people, mostly tourists, were killed when terrorists opened fire in Pahalgam.

Sharing details of Pakistan’s diplomatic overtures following the escalation in the aftermath of the Pahalgam attack, Ishaq Dar said he spoke with the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, China, the United Kingdom, Turkiye, Azerbaijan, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Hungary.

“I walked them through what happened...," Ishaq Dar was quoted by Dawn as saying.

'Indian military attack in next 24 to 36 hrs'

Pakistan's Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar said on Wednesday that Pakistan "has credible intelligence that India intends to carry out military action against Pakistan in the next 24 to 36 hours on the pretext of baseless and concocted allegations of involvement in the Pahalgam incident."

Tarar said Pakistan itself has been a victim of terrorism and has condemned all forms of such violence. However, Tarar asserted that India had unilaterally taken on the roles of judge, jury, and executioner in accusing Pakistan of involvement in the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir.

“Being a responsible state, Pakistan openheartedly offered a credible, transparent and independent investigation by a neutral commission of experts to ascertain the truth,” Tarar wrote on X.

He added, “Unfortunately, rather than pursuing the path of reason, India has apparently decided to tread the dangerous path of irrationality and confrontation, which will have catastrophic consequences for the entire region and beyond.”

Imran Khan warns: ‘Pakistan has all capabilities’

Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, who is currently imprisoned in corruption cases, warned India on Wednesday, saying, "Pakistan has got all the capabilities to give a befitting response to any Indian misadventure."

Imran Khan's party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), posted his comments in a series of posts on X on Wednesday.

One of the posts read, “Being a country of 1.5 billion people, India needs to act responsibly instead of messing with a region already known as 'nuclear flashpoint.'”

"Peace is our priority, but it should not be mistaken for cowardice. Pakistan has all the capabilities to give a befitting response to any Indian misadventure, as my government, backed by the whole nation, did in 2019," Imran Khan said.