Pakistan turns to China, Russia as India mounts pressure after Pahalgam attack

Pakistan has sought the involvement of China and Russia in the Kashmir terror attack investigation amidst increasing tensions with India, news agency PTI reported Sunday (April 27).

On Tuesday (April 22), terrorists opened fire in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, killing 26 people, mostly tourists. It was the deadliest attack since Pulwama in 2019. The Resistance Front (TRF), a proxy of the banned Pakistan-based group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), initially claimed responsibility for the attack but it walked back four days later, claiming one of its digital accounts may have been hacked by Indian authorities.

Pakistan urges China, Russia to play positive role

Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, in a recent interview with a Russia-based news agency, said Beijing and Moscow could form an international team of investigators to find out the truth.

“I believe that Russia, China, or even Western countries could play a very positive role in this crisis. They could form an international investigation team to determine whether India or Modi is lying or telling the truth. Let an international team find out,” Asif told RIA Novosti news agency.

He highlighted that Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif also supported such an international investigation.

“We need to identify the culprit of this incident in India, in Kashmir. Empty statements have no impact; there must be substantial evidence proving Pakistan’s involvement or that these individuals were supported by Pakistan. These are merely unfounded statements,” Khawaja Asif was quoted as saying by the news agency.

While Indian intelligence agencies hint at Pakistan’s direct or indirect involvement in the attack, Islamabad maintains that it might very well be a “false flag operation” by New Delhi. Some analysts in Pakistan have also peddled separatism theory, claiming the attack may have been carried out by “freedom fighters”.

Pakistan has also dismissed TRF’s association with the attacks, with Khawaja Asif telling BBC News that such terror organisations have long gone “defunct” in Pakistan.

China backs Pakistan’s stance

Meanwhile, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has reportedly backed Pakistan’s call for impartial investigation.

During a phone call with Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar on Sunday, Wang Yi supported “the prompt initiation of an impartial investigation, hoping both sides will exercise restraint, move toward each other, and work to de-escalate tensions”, reported Global Times, the communist party’s official mouthpiece.

Combating terrorism constitutes a shared responsibility of all nations, and China consistently supports Pakistan’s firm counter-terrorism actions, Wang said, according to Global Times.

China has a notorious past of backing Islamabad at UN on the issue of terrorism and extremism. Even in the case of the latest Kashmir attack, there are reports that Pakistan worked with China to water down the statement released by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).