Sharif calls Pahalgam attack 'unfortunate', accuses India of destabilising regional peace

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif

At the Economic Cooperation Organisation (ECO) Summit in Azerbaijan, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif contradicted himself majorly by first terming the Pahalgam attack as "unfortunate", and then, in his usual accusatory tone, alleging that India was using the recent Baisaran valley terror attack to “destabilise regional peace” through what he called “unprovoked and reckless hostility.”

The comments came as Sharif once again raised the Kashmir issue on an international platform, referring to what he termed “barbaric acts” in the Union Territory. He also criticised the targeting of civilians in Gaza and Iran, seen as a veiled reference to Israel’s recent strikes, grouping all three conflicts under what he called "barbarism against innocents."

On April 22, a terror attack in Pahalgam’s Baisaran Valley left 26 people, including 25 tourists, dead. The Resistance Front (TRF), an affiliate of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba, had claimed responsibility for the strike.

Sharif also commented on Israel’s June offensive against Iran, calling its airstrikes "acts of aggression." The 12-day conflict, dubbed Operation Rising Lion, targeted Iranian nuclear infrastructure and resulted in over 600 reported deaths before a ceasefire was brokered.

“Pakistan stands against all forms of violence against innocent people, be it in Gaza, Kashmir, or Iran,” Sharif said.