'Find Out Who's Culprit': Pakistan Seeks Russia, China’s Intervention In Pahalgam Terror Attack Probe

Last Updated:April 27, 2025, 19:17 IST

Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has called Russia, China and other "western countries" to form an international investigation team to probe the attack.

Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif. (File)

Pahalgam terror attack: Pakistan is seeking an intervention of Russia and China in investigating the recent terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, after which the diplomatic ties between New Delhi and Islamabad deteriorated.

Islamabad questioned the basis on which India accused Pakistan of being involved in the attack leading to suspension of Indus Water Treaty, cutting off trade ties and closing of borders, news agency PTI reported.

Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has called Russia, China and other “western countries" to form an international investigation team to probe the attack.

“I believe that Russia, China, or even Western countries could play a very positive role in this crisis. They could form an international investigation team to determine whether India or Modi is lying or telling the truth. Let an international team find out," Asif said in a recent interview to Russian government-run RIA Novosti news agency.

He further noted that Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has also called for an international investigation in the terror attack.

The Pakistani minister further emphasised that India should furbish the evidence to substantiate the fact that Pakistan is involved or that the terrorists were supported by Pakistan.

“Let’s find out who is the culprit and the perpetrator of this incident in India, in Kashmir, talk or empty statements have no effect. There must be some evidence that Pakistan is involved or that these people were supported by Pakistan. These are just statements, empty statements and nothing more," Khawaja further told the news outlet.

Meanwhile, Andrew Korybko, a Moscow-based independent analyst, pointed out some concerning statements made by Pakistani officials. He observed that Pakistan not only denied India’s accusations, which was expected, but officials also made two self-discrediting claims.

“Ishaq Dar, who is both Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, suggested that those who attacked Pahalgam might be freedom fighters," he noted. “Regardless of one’s perspective on the Kashmir conflict, it is undeniably an act of terrorism to massacre tourists, especially based on their religion. Speculating that the perpetrators ‘might be freedom fighters’ undermines genuine freedom fighters worldwide and implicitly justifies terrorism," Korybko wrote in his newsletter on Substack.

The second self-discrediting claim came from Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, who stated in an interview with Al Jazeera that the attack could have been a “false flag operation."

“As we reflect on Dar and Asif’s comments, it becomes clear that there is a significant contradiction. Dar insinuates approval of the Pahalgam attack by suggesting that the attackers ‘might be freedom fighters,’ while Asif condemns the attack and blames it on India," Korybko explained.

“These positions are mutually exclusive and intellectually inconsistent. The inability of top Pakistani officials to maintain a coherent narrative raises concerns about their attempts to cover up their side’s involvement," Korybko added.

Meanwhile, Iran on Friday offered to mediate between India and Pakistan amid rising diplomatic tensions. Calling New Delhi and Islamabad as Tehran’s “brotherly neighbours", Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said that Tehran is ready to foster greater understanding between both the nations during the challenging time.

India- Pakistan Tense Ties

The ties between the two nations got tense after the Pahalgam carnage on Tuesday in which 26 tourists were shot dead in broad daylight by the Resistance Front terrorists, an offshoot of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), in the deadliest attack in the Valley since the Pulwama strike in 2019.

After the attack, the diplomatic ties between India and Pakistan downgraded with New Delhi announcing several punitive measures, including suspension of Indus Water Treaty, cutting Islamabad Mission strength and expulsion of its military attaches, as per decided by the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) in view of cross-border links to the devastating terror attack.

Subsequently, Pakistan announced several retaliatory moves, including suspension of all its bilateral agreements and trade activities and closing its airspace to Indian aircrafts.

On Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had vowed that the “perpetrators and conspirators" of the Pahalgam attack will be “served with the harshest response".

(With inputs from PTI)

Islamabad, Pakistan

News world 'Find Out Who's Culprit': Pakistan Seeks Russia, China’s Intervention In Pahalgam Terror Attack Probe