Pakistan has said it condemns the recent terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, and denied supporting any terrorist groups. But on Thursday, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, who is also the Deputy Prime Minister, called the attackers "freedom fighters" while talking to reporters in Islamabad.

He said, “Those who carried out the April 22 attack in Pahalgam might be freedom fighters.” The minister's comments came a day after India announced several diplomatic actions against Pakistan in response to the attack. These included suspending the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty and cancelling all visas issued to Pakistani citizens.

Speaking about the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, Dar said, "240 million people in Pakistan rely on this water... You can't stop it. It's like an act of war. We won't accept any suspension or interference." Dar also warned that if India threatens or attacks Pakistan, the country would retaliate in the same way. "If Pakistan is attacked directly, we will give a tit-for-tat reply," he said.

The Pakistani government supported this stance, stating that any attempt to divert water under the Indus Waters Treaty would be considered an "act of war." A statement released after the National Security Committee (NSC) meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, warned, "Any attempt to stop or divert the flow of water belonging to Pakistan under the Indus Waters Treaty, or taking away the rights of lower riparians, will be considered an act of war."

Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif also escalated the situation, claiming that India is planning attacks across Pakistan. He said, "We will make them pay. If India harms our citizens, Indian citizens will not be safe either. It will be tit-for-tat."

On April 22, terrorists carried out a deadly attack on the popular tourist spot at Baisaran Meadows, killing 26 people, mostly tourists. This attack was the deadliest in the Kashmir Valley since the 2019 Pulwama attack. The Resistance Front (TRF), a group linked to the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), claimed responsibility for the massacre.

You might also be interested in - Pahalgam terror attack: One terrorist’s house blown up, another’s razed with bulldozer