Deputy Prime Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar has said Pakistan will not initiate any escalatory move but will respond very strongly to any such move by India.

He was addressing a joint news conference along with Director General Inter-Services Public Relations Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry and Foreign Office Spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan in Islamabad on Wednesday.

Ishaq Dar reiterated that Pakistan condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. He said targeting of innocent civilians is surely deplorable and condemnable. He said Pakistan, as the member of the UN Security Council, constructively engaged with the other members on the Pahalgam incident in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir. The UN Security Council statement contains condemnation in the strongest possible terms of the incident. On the other hand, it is India that glorifies and even celebrates its assassination campaigns and sponsoring of terrorism in Pakistan and other countries. 

Ishaq Dar said Pakistan demands an independent and transparent probe by neutral investigators as announced by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. He said any Terms of Reference in this regard should be credible and mutually agreed.

The Deputy Prime Minister said Pakistan has neither any connection to the Pahalgam incident nor is the potential beneficiary.

Talking about the actions announced by India after the incident, he said these measures are illegal and highly irresponsible. He said holding in abeyance of the Indus Water Treaty is unilateral and illegal. He mentioned that there is no such provision in the treaty. He said the treaty cannot be amended or terminated without consensus.  He said this action shows India's blatant disregard for the sanctity of international treaties. It sets a dangerous precedent. It strikes at the fundamental pillar of the regional cooperation with profound implications for regional and global stability.

Ishaq Dar said Pakistan is an agrarian economy and millions of people are dependent on waters being regulated by this treaty. He said any attempt to stop or divert the flow of water belonging to Pakistan as per the Indus Water Treaty and usurpation of the rights of the lower riparian will be considered as an act of war. It is equal to attack on the people of Pakistan and their economy. He further said the other diplomatic measures by India are indiscriminate and unnecessary.

The Deputy Prime Minister said Pakistan believes in restraint and remains committed to regional peace and stability. However, in case of any act of aggression, Pakistan remains determined to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity in exercise of its inherent right to self-defence as enshrined in article 51 of the UN Charter.

Regarding global appeal to exercise restraint, Ishaq Dar made it clear that Pakistan will not be the first one to resort to any escalatory move. However, in case of any escalatory move by the India side, it will respond very strongly.

The Deputy Prime Minister it is time for the international community to hold India accountable for transnational assassinations in different countries, including Pakistan. He stressed the need to distinguish between international community's sympathy with victims of the incident and unwitting endorsement of Indian belligerent. He said India's blatant disregard of international law and whimsical approach towards its obligations would lead to highly unstable and unpredictable regional order.

Ishaq Dar urged the international community to step in to condemn India and prevent it from targeting people on the basis of Islamophobia and religious hatred. He said the dangerous Indian brinkmanship and efforts aimed at escalation can potentially lead to disastrous consequences in a nuclearized region and beyond.

The Deputy Prime Minister said Pakistan is cognizant of the developing situation. He said the armed forces are alert and the nation is vigilant to thwart any misadventure, responding in a befitting and decisive manner at the time and place of their choosing.

Ishaq Dar said the hype that is created on each and every incident in India seems to be deliberate and choreographed. This is now become a very familiar template aimed at diverting attention from India's inability to suppress the inalienable right of Kashmiris to self-determination, its security failure in IIOJK as well as its decades-long state terrorism and oppression. To distract the international community's attention of the horror of what is happening in the IIOJK, India deliberately raises tensions with Pakistan.

The Deputy Prime Minister said a durable solution for India lies in focusing on its internal problems instead of raising fingers on other countries.

In his remarks, Director General ISPR Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said that there is a litany of using terror incidents by India for political objectives.

He said that India used Pulwama incident to change the status of Kashmir and now Pahalgam incident is being used for the purpose of Indus Water Treaty, distracting Pakistan for its counter terrorism efforts and Pakistan's successful efforts of reviving the economy.

He said India is projecting hundreds of Pakistanis held in different jails of India as terrorists and infiltrators and is killing them in fake encounters.

The DG ISPR said Indian people are raising serious questions on the legitimacy of Pahalgam attack and questions are being raised about security, timing of attacks, and effectiveness of heavily deployed forces, intelligence failures and use of such attacks for political gains.

He said it takes thirty minutes for someone to move from the incident site to the Police station and how is humanly possible that Police was there, evaluated the situation and went back and registered the FIR within ten minutes.

Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said the allegations regarding the involvement of Pakistan were made within a minutes but the evidence still is awaited. 

He said the Indian media dubbed these terrorists as Islamic terrorists and we are absolutely clear that terrorists have no religion. Similarly, the Indian social media accounts glorify terror incidents in Pakistan.