'Ready to cooperate': Pakistan defence minister on Pahalgam attack in Kashmir, denies LeT links
Khawaja Asif said Pakistan was open to "any investigation which is conducted by international inspectors" into the Kashmir attack that killed 26 civilians, mostly tourists, earlier this week
- Apr 26, 2025,
- Updated Apr 26, 2025 9:52 AM IST
Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif on Friday said Pakistan was “ready to cooperate” with any international investigation into the Pahalgam terror attack. This as he continued to deny any Pakistani involvement and made a controversial admission about Pakistan’s past role in aiding Western powers.
Speaking to The New York Times, Asif said Pakistan was open to “any investigation which is conducted by international inspectors” into the Kashmir attack that killed 26 civilians, mostly tourists, earlier this week. His remarks appeared aimed at easing tensions after India blamed Pakistan-based elements for orchestrating the strike.
Asif insisted India was acting “without any proof, without any investigation,” accusing New Delhi of using the attack as a "pretext" to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty and pursue domestic political interests.
On India's claim that the Resistance Front, a Lashkar-e-Taiba proxy, carried out the attack, Asif said LeT was no longer operational. “They are finished; they don’t have any setup in Pakistan," he told NYT. "Some of them are under house arrest, some of them are in custody. They are not at all active."
"Dirty work"
Separately, in an interview with Sky News, Asif made a startling admission, saying, "We have been doing this dirty work for United States for about three decades you know and the West including Britain." He was responding to questions about Pakistan’s history of supporting, training, and funding terrorist organisations.
He argued that Pakistan’s record would have remained unblemished had it not participated in conflicts like the Soviet-Afghan war and the post-9/11 War on Terror. Asif also alleged that India routinely blamed Pakistan for attacks without evidence, citing the 2000 massacre of Sikhs during US President Bill Clinton’s visit.
Warning of the dangers ahead, Asif said Pakistan’s military was "prepared for any eventuality" and that the world should be “worried” about the prospect of a full-scale war between two nuclear-armed nations.
Pakistan violates ceasefire
Meanwhile, Pakistan violated the ceasefire along the Line of Control in the Kashmir valley by resorting to unprovoked firing, a defence official said on Saturday and added the army responded appropriately.
"On the night of April 25-26, unprovoked small firing was carried out by multiple Pakistan Army posts all across the Line of Control (LoC) in Kashmir," the Srinagar-based defence official said.
Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif on Friday said Pakistan was “ready to cooperate” with any international investigation into the Pahalgam terror attack. This as he continued to deny any Pakistani involvement and made a controversial admission about Pakistan’s past role in aiding Western powers.
Speaking to The New York Times, Asif said Pakistan was open to “any investigation which is conducted by international inspectors” into the Kashmir attack that killed 26 civilians, mostly tourists, earlier this week. His remarks appeared aimed at easing tensions after India blamed Pakistan-based elements for orchestrating the strike.
Asif insisted India was acting “without any proof, without any investigation,” accusing New Delhi of using the attack as a "pretext" to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty and pursue domestic political interests.
On India's claim that the Resistance Front, a Lashkar-e-Taiba proxy, carried out the attack, Asif said LeT was no longer operational. “They are finished; they don’t have any setup in Pakistan," he told NYT. "Some of them are under house arrest, some of them are in custody. They are not at all active."
"Dirty work"
Separately, in an interview with Sky News, Asif made a startling admission, saying, "We have been doing this dirty work for United States for about three decades you know and the West including Britain." He was responding to questions about Pakistan’s history of supporting, training, and funding terrorist organisations.
He argued that Pakistan’s record would have remained unblemished had it not participated in conflicts like the Soviet-Afghan war and the post-9/11 War on Terror. Asif also alleged that India routinely blamed Pakistan for attacks without evidence, citing the 2000 massacre of Sikhs during US President Bill Clinton’s visit.
Warning of the dangers ahead, Asif said Pakistan’s military was "prepared for any eventuality" and that the world should be “worried” about the prospect of a full-scale war between two nuclear-armed nations.
Pakistan violates ceasefire
Meanwhile, Pakistan violated the ceasefire along the Line of Control in the Kashmir valley by resorting to unprovoked firing, a defence official said on Saturday and added the army responded appropriately.
"On the night of April 25-26, unprovoked small firing was carried out by multiple Pakistan Army posts all across the Line of Control (LoC) in Kashmir," the Srinagar-based defence official said.