What the Foreign Office said
Pakistan’s Foreign Office on Thursday 23 April 2026 strongly rejected Indian allegations and what it called propaganda linking Pakistan to the Pahalgam incident, and urged New Delhi to act responsibly and avoid rhetoric that could undermine regional peace efforts.
In a statement, the Foreign Office spokesperson said it was regrettable that, at a time when Islamabad together with international partners was engaged in diplomatic efforts for regional and global peace and security, India had once again launched a campaign to malign Pakistan for what he described as narrow domestic political gains. He called the allegations part of a recurring pattern aimed at diverting international attention from developments in the region.
The claims and Pakistan’s response
The spokesperson, Ambassador Tahir Andrabi, referred to last year’s Operation Bunyan-um-Marsoos and said India’s latest claims were a continuation of what Pakistan termed a misplaced narrative following its earlier adventurism. He alleged that India was attempting to create a smokescreen to obscure what he called its own destabilising actions across the region.
Kashmir and the Indus waters
Ambassador Andrabi also criticised India’s policies in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, reiterating Pakistan’s position that Kashmiris had been denied their right to self-determination in violation of relevant United Nations resolutions. He said recent Indian actions, including a unilateral move to hold the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance, constituted a breach of international law and had contributed to heightened regional tensions.
Call for restraint
Pakistan said it hoped the international community would urge India to act responsibly and refrain from steps that could jeopardise the diplomatic efforts aimed at ensuring regional and international peace and stability. The Foreign Office statement did not set out the specific Indian allegations it was responding to, and announced no new diplomatic or legal step.
Sources & reporting notes
This is a summary of a published statement carried by the national news agency, not eyewitness reporting. The source was reviewed on 2026-04-23.
- APP — Pakistan rejects India's baseless allegations over Pahalgam incident, urges responsible conductPublished 23 April 2026 · Carries the Foreign Office spokesperson's statement rejecting Indian allegations over the Pahalgam incident, attributing the claims to a recurring pattern, restating Pakistan's position on self-determination in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, and describing India's move to hold the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance as a breach of international law.
