India planning military strike within 36 hours, claims Pakistan; warns of consequences

India, in its initial response to the deadly terror attack, has already taken several punitive measures against Pakistan, including massive anti-terror crackdown in the Valley.

Pakistan, in the wee hours of Wednesday, claimed it has received “credible intelligence” suggesting that India is preparing to launch military action within the next 24 to 36 hours, sharply escalating rhetoric amid the fallout from the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack.

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Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, during a press meet, accused India of plotting aggression based on what he described as “baseless and fabricated allegations” linking Islamabad to the Pahalgam attack.

“India is evading an impartial investigation and choosing the path of confrontation,” Tarar said, adding that Pakistan had offered to facilitate a “credible, transparent, and independent” international probe, which he claimed New Delhi ignored.

Reiterating Pakistan’s longstanding position that it too has suffered from terrorism, Tarar urged the global community to take note of the situation and intervene to prevent a military escalation. He warned that “any misadventure by India will be met with a firm and decisive response,” and said that the responsibility for any ensuing conflict "would rest squarely on India.”

Islamabad's dramatic assertion comes just hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during a high-level security briefing in Delhi on Tuesday evening, directed top military officials that they have “complete operational freedom” to determine the timing, targets, and mode of India’s response to the deadly assault that killed 26 people.

The sharp exchange follows a flurry of diplomatic and strategic steps announced by India in the wake of the terror attack, which it has blamed on Pakistan-based groups. These measures include the suspension of the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty, expulsion of Pakistani military officials, cancellation of all visas issued to Pakistani nationals after April 27, and closure of the Attari land transit point.

PM Modi, in public remarks following the attack, vowed to “identify, track and punish” those responsible and their “sponsors,” saying they would be pursued “to the ends of the earth.”

The situation continues to draw international concern, with United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres earlier offering his “Good Offices” to help de-escalate tensions and prevent a wider conflict in the region.