 "Indian security officers inspect the site a day after where terrorists indiscriminately opened fire at tourists in Pahalgam. AP File")
Former Pakistan diplomat Husain Haqqani has said that “extremist ideologies and support for jihadi terrorists” is to blame for Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam attack, which claimed 26 lives, mostly tourists.
Taking to X, Haqqani, former Pakistan ambassador to US, wrote, “India is right to be grieved & enraged over a vicious terrorist attack. Pakistan is right to ask for evidence. The world is right to call for de-escalation. Now, can we start discussing the real issue: extremist ideologies & support for Jihadi terrorists.”
On April 22, a terrorist attack took place in Pahalgam, resulting in the deaths of 26 people, including 25 tourists and one local resident.
The Resistance Front (TRF), an offshoot of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba, in a statement claimed the responsibility for targeting the victims, which was later retracted. The attackers reportedly inquired about the victims’ faith before opening fire.
The attack reignited global scrutiny of Pakistan’s long-standing role in sponsoring terrorism.
From sheltering jihadist leaders to backing cross-border militancy, Islamabad’s military and intelligence establishment — particularly the ISI — has long used terror groups as strategic assets.
This complicity is no secret. Former Pakistani PM Nawaz Sharif hinted at state involvement in the 2008 Mumbai attacks, while General Pervez Musharraf admitted to training militants for proxy war in Kashmir.
Just last month, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif told Sky News that Pakistan had supported terror outfits for decades at the behest of Western powers.
Pakistan’s terror network has had a global footprint. It backed the Afghan Taliban and Haqqani Network — behind deadly attacks in Kabul. Russia suspects Pakistani links to the recent Moscow concert hall attack, while Iran launched drone strikes in January 2024 on alleged Pakistan-based terror camps. Even the 2005 London bombings had links to radicalisation in Pakistan.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsFrom South Asia to Europe, Pakistan’s terror machinery continues to destabilise regions far beyond its borders.
With inputs from agencies