Pakistan Warns of Impending Attack: Claims 'Credible Intelligence' Points to Imminent Indian Strike

Pakistan reported on Wednesday that they possessed "reliable information" indicating India intends to launch an assault against them in the coming days. This came amid border clashes involving troops and as Pakistanis complied with directives from New Delhi to evacuate their areas after the recent lethal strike in Indian-administered Kashmir.

India's actions to penalize Pakistan following accusations that it supported an assault in Pahalgam—a claim denied by Islamabad—have escalated tensions between the two nuclear powers to their peak since 2019. This was during a time when they nearly went to war due to a suicide vehicle explosion in Kashmir. Both nations fully lay claim to the divided territory but control different parts of the area.

Calls for de-escalation

Pakistan stated that intelligence indicates India intends to take military action against them within the next 24 to 36 hours, citing "groundless and fabricated accusations" of their alleged involvement as justification.

Indian authorities did not provide an instant statement. Nonetheless, government representatives indicated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has granted "full operational autonomy to the military for determining the method, targets, and schedule of India’s retaliation following the Pahalgam massacre." These officials chose to speak anonymously due to the confidential nature of these discussions.

The assault from last week was attributed to an unidentified militant organization known as the Kashmir Resistance. The government in New Delhi asserts that every act of violence in India-administered Kashmir receives backing from Pakistan. However, Pakistan refutes these claims, and numerous Muslim residents of Kashmir view these fighters as participants in their own liberation movement.

The UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, emphasized the importance of "averting a conflict" during individual telephone conversations with officials from both India and Pakistan. Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department urged restraint and mentioned that Secretary of State Marco Rubio was planning to speak with the foreign ministers of these two nations.

Pakistanis forced to leave

The deadline for Pakistani nationals to depart from India, except those holding medical visas, expired on Sunday. However, numerous families were still hurrying to cross at the border point in Attari town located in the northern part of Punjab state.

A few came voluntarily. The rest were expelled by law enforcement.

"We have established our homes here. We ask the authorities not to tear our families apart," stated Sara Khan, a woman from Pakistan who was sent back without her spouse, Aurangzeb Khan, who possesses an Indian passport. Carrying her newborn baby just 14 days old, she mentioned that they have resided in Indian-administered Kashmir since 2017.

"The Indian officials told me that I am unauthorized and must leave," stated Khan as he waited at the India side of the frontier point.

The relationship between India and Pakistan has become more strained following an attack where gunmen murdered 26 individuals, primarily Indian visitors, close to Pahalgam, which is a tourist destination.

The atrocity triggered reciprocal diplomatic actions, which involved revoking visa privileges and recalling envoys. India halted an important water agreement with Pakistan and instructed its borders to be closed off from Pakistan. Consequently, Pakistan responded by shutting down its airspace for flights originating from India.

The frequency of cross-border shootings involving soldiers has risen along the Line of Control, which serves as the de facto border dividing the Kashmir region between these two adversaries.

Fire along the frontier

On Wednesday, both India and Pakistan blamed each other for starting the shooting.

Pakistan’s state-run media said Indian forces violated the ceasefire agreement along the Line of Control by initiating fire with heavy weapons. According to Pakistan Television, Pakistani troops returned fire after coming under attack overnight in the Mandal sector of Pakistan-controlled Kashmir.

In the meantime, the Indian military stated that they retaliated against "unprovoked" small arms fire initiated by Pakistan in the regions of Naushera, Sunderbani, and Akhnoor within Indian-administered Kashmir.

These events couldn't be confirmed separately. Previously, both sides have blamed each other for initiating clashes at the borders in the Himalayas.

India’s cabinet committee on security, led by Modi, convened on Wednesday. This marked the second time they have done so following the assault.

Witness accounts

At minimum, three survivors of the attack spoke with the Associated Press stating that the assailants specifically targeted Hindu males, shooting them at point-blank range. Among those killed were an individual holding citizenship in Nepal and a local Muslim man working as a pony ride attendant.

Aishanya Dwivedi, who lost her spouse, stated that a shooter confronted them and demanded that her husband repeat the Islamic profession of faith. When her husband responded that he followed Hinduism, the assailant fired at him directly in the head, according to her account.

"He was sitting on my lap. I was covered in his blood," Dwivedi stated.

Gill, Saaliq, and Ahmed authored pieces for the Associated Press. Saaliq covered stories from New Delhi, while Ahmed provided reports from Islamabad. Additionally, AP writer Rajesh Roy in New Delhi added contributions to this story.

This tale initially surfaced in Los Angeles Times .