In another attempt to sidestep growing global pressure, Pakistan's Foreign Office on Monday claimed that portraying Islamabad as the source of regional instability is “divorced from reality,” doubling down on its decades-old narrative that blames India for regional tensions and terrorism concerns. The declaration, made by FO official spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan, follows days after several top Indian officials criticised Pakistan for its ongoing support of cross-border terrorism after the April 22 Pahalgam attack. Indian troops had initiated Operation Sindoor on May 7, attacking terror infrastructure along the Line of Control (LoC) and deep within Pakistan.

In a statement cited by Dawn, Pakistan's FO stated that the actual danger to peace in South Asia is not terrorism but the "unresolved Kashmir issue," and such attempts to hold Pakistan responsible for instability are factually unfounded and politically motivated. “Any attempt to portray Pakistan as the source of regional instability is divorced from reality,” said Khan. The FO emphasised that Kashmir is the central issue and that Pakistan would "continue to pursue a just and lasting solution… by relevant UN Security Council resolutions and the wishes of the Kashmiri people."

Pakistan's foreign office asserted that recent comments by India's highest-ranked leaders, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, indicate a "deeply troubling mindset that gives priority to enmity above peace." The FO also opposed the External Affairs spokesperson's remarks on May 29, in which he had stated that dialogue with Pakistan could be considered only "when Pakistan surrenders Jammu and Kashmir. Terming the Indian stance "jingoistic," the FO asserted India will never attain peace "through threats or coercion." India had already stated categorically, asserting that Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh are integral and inalienable parts of India, and no external power can impose terms over India's internal affairs. And Pakistan’s obsession with Kashmir is a diversionary tactic to deflect attention from its internal chaos and economic collapse.

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India Says, Terrorism Is The Genuine Problem

Top Indian officials reaffirmed that Pakistan's continued indulgence in supporting terrorism is the root cause of instability in the region of South Asia and not the Kashmir question, as portrayed by Islamabad. Senior security officials said Operation Sindoor, launched after the Pahalgam attack, was a clear message to Islamabad that the era of strategic restraint is over. The operation targeted multiple terror camps and airbases across Pakistan and PoK.

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India's Defence Chief of Staff, General Anil Chauhan, in an open speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, announced that "India has drawn a new red line on terrorism." He warned Islamabad that India's threshold for tolerance has shifted, and any future terror provocations would be repelled by instant military action. “We have endured two decades of proxy war. Enough is enough. Operation Sindoor was a clear signal — our response will be calibrated, lethal, and fast,” General Chauhan said.