The X account of Pakistan minister Ataullah Tarar, who claimed that India may soon conduct a military strike on Pakistan, citing “credible intelligence” has been blocked in India. The move comes amid tensions between both countries over the Pahalgam terror attack.
Pakistan’s Information and Broadcasting Minister Ataullah Tarar’s X account has been blocked in India, days after he claimed that Islambad had “credible intelligence” that New Delhi may carry out a military strike on the neighbouring country within 24 to 36 hours in the wake of the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack.
A screenshot of Tarar’s X account showed a message that it was withheld in India in response to a legal demand. The profile picture and the cover image of Tarar’s X account are blank.
In a late-night press conference, Tarar claimed early Wednesday that Pakistan had received “credible intelligence”, indicating India may carry out a military strike within the next 24 to 36 hours. This came a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi granted the Indian armed forces “complete operational freedom” to respond to the Pahalgam terror attack, which claimed 26 lives, government sources told India Today TV.
“Pakistan has credible intelligence that India intends to launch a military strike within the next 24 to 36 hours using the Pahalgam incident as a false pretext,” he claimed.
Tarar warned that any act of aggression would be met with a decisive response and hold India accountable for any serious consequences in the region.
Asserting that Pakistan itself was “a victim of terrorism”, the minister said Islamabad had “open-heartedly offered a credible, transparent, and independent investigation by a neutral commission of experts to ascertain the truth”.
Tensions between India and Pakistan escalated in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack, one of the worst such assaults in the Kashmir Valley in recent years.
Earlier, Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif told news agency Reuters that a military incursion by India was imminent. Pakistan was on high alert but would only use its nuclear weapons if “there is a direct threat to our existence”, Asif said.
The Indian government has blocked the Instagram accounts of several Pakistani actors, including Hania Aamir and Mahira Khan, in the wake of the Pahalgam massacre. Other Pakistani celebrities whose Instagram accounts have been disabled in India are – Ali Zafar, Sanam Saeed, Bilal Abbas, Iqra Aziz, Imran Abbas and Sajal Aly.
Earlier, the YouTube channel of Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s YouTube channel was blocked in India. Other YouTube channels restricted in India are – Dawn News, Irshad Bhatti, SAMAA TV, ARY NEWS, BOL NEWS, Raftar, The Pakistan Reference, Geo News, Samaa Sports, GNN, Uzair Cricket, Umar Cheema Exclusive, Asma Shirazi, Muneeb Farooq, SUNO News and Razi Naama.
ABOUT PAHALGAM TERROR ATTACK
On April 22, terrorists opened fire on a group of tourists visiting the Baisaran valley, a meadow which is accessible only by foot or horseback. In the process, 26 people, including a Nepali national, were killed in the carnage.
Terrorists singled out non-Muslim tourists and shot them at point-blank range after being asked to recite the Kalma, or the Islamic declaration of faith.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has held a flurry of key security and cabinet meetings this week, has vowed that his government will hunt down the terrorists involved in the Pahalgam attack.
