Pakistan won’t strike first but will respond forcefully to Indian escalation — deputy PM

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday told United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres that Pakistan shall defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity with full force as Indian PM Modi gave the country’s military “operational freedom” to respond to last week’s attack in Kashmir, amid soaring tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbors.
Modi on Tuesday held a closed-door meeting with army and security chiefs a week after the deadliest attack in years that killed 26 civilians, and told the armed forces that they had the “complete operational freedom to decide on the mode, targets and timing of our response to the terror attack,” AFP reported, citing a government source.
Relations between the nuclear-armed neighbors have plummeted after India accused Pakistan of backing the attack on April 22. Islamabad has rejected the charge and both countries have since exchanged gunfire in Kashmir, taken diplomatic measures against each other, expelled citizens and ordered the border shut. Modi last week vowed to pursue those who carried out the attack in Pahalgam and those who had supported it.
Amid heightened tensions, UN chief Guterres called PM Sharif and Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on Tuesday and underscored “the need to avoid a confrontation that could result in tragic consequences,” his spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement. Gutterres offered his good offices to support the de-escalation efforts.
“While underscoring that Pakistan shall defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity with full force in case of any misadventure by India, the prime minister encouraged the UN Secretary-General to counsel India to act responsibly and exercise restraint,” Sharif’s office said. 
“The prime minister categorically rejected any attempt to link Pakistan with the Pahalgam incident and reiterated his call for a transparent and neutral investigation into the incident.”
India on April 23 suspended the World Bank-mediated Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 that ensures water for 80 percent of Pakistani farms, saying it would last until “Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism.” Islamabad described India’s move as an “act of war” and closed the Pakistani airspace for Indian airlines.
Guterres’ call came amid fears that India may conduct limited airstrikes or special forces raids near its border with Pakistan.
In his conversation with the UN chief, Sharif reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment toward fostering international peace and security as a responsible member of the international community and a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council.
“He particularly highlighted India’s weaponization of the waters of the Indus Basin as unacceptable, while noting that water was the lifeline of 240 million people,” Sharif’s office said.
Also on Tuesday, Pakistani Deputy PM Ishaq Dar claimed India had been attempting to alter the 1960 Indus Water Treaty, which determines the river water-sharing mechanism between both countries, for the past two years.
“I have my doubt, much like other people, that this drama was staged to suspend this treaty,” he said, referring to the Pahalgam attack.
“We obviously don’t have evidence that they have staged this drama,” he continued. “What we do say with full confidence is that Pakistan has nothing to do with this [attack].”
Tensions have been boiling between the two nations since the attack in Kashmir, which has been divided between India and Pakistan since their independence from British rule in 1947. Both countries have fought two wars over the disputed region they rule in part but claim in full.
The worst attack in recent years in Indian-administered Kashmir took place in Pulwama in 2019, when an insurgent rammed a car packed with explosives into a security forces convoy, killing 40 and wounding 35.
Indian fighter jets carried out air strikes on Pakistani territory 12 days later. The strikes were followed by the downing of an Indian fighter jet by Pakistan and the capturing of an Indian Air Force (IAF), who was released as a result of diplomatic efforts later.
The UN has urged the arch-rivals to talk, while China, which shares its border with both India and Pakistan, on Tuesday repeated its call on both sides to “exercise restraint.” Saudi Arabia has said Riyadh was trying to “prevent an escalation,” while Iran has offered to mediate the crisis.