Pakistan claims Pahalgam attack ‘false flag operation’

Speaking to Al Jazeera, Pakistan’s defence minister says the government suspects ‘very strongly that it was a false flag operation’.
Pakistan has issued retaliatory diplomatic measures against India, including the closing of airspace and land border, and says any attempt to divert the waters of the Indus River will be an “act of war”.Pakistan’s Foreign Secretary rejects ‘Indian misinformation campaign’
Pakistani Foreign Secretary Amna Baloch held a briefing for diplomats in Islamabad on rising tensions with India following the Kashmir attack.

In a statement, the Foreign Ministry said Baloch “rejected Indian misinformation campaign against Pakistan and said that such tactics would obstruct the path to peace and stability in the region”.

She also “cautioned against Indian attempts to escalate tensions and reaffirmed Pakistan’s readiness to counter any misadventure”, the ministry said.

‘I want justice’: Wife who lost husband condemns lack of security
A woman whose husband was killed in the Pahalgam attack has confronted a government minister over security arrangements in India-administered Kashmir.

The Indian Express newspaper reported that Shital Kalathiya, wife of slain bank manager Shailesh Kalathiya, questioned Jal Shakti Minister CR Paatil as he attended her husband’s funeral.

“What kind of a government do we have? You are defaming Kashmir, but there is no problem with Kashmir. The problem is with our government’s security arrangements,” Shital Kalathiya told the minister, according to the report.

“There was not a single military man present at the tourist spot in Pahalgam, which had a large number of tourists, and there were no medical facilities either.

“Even after paying taxes, when my husband was in urgent need of medical treatment, there were no facilities. I want justice. I just need an answer from the government about what they will do now.”Netanyahu offers condolences in call with Modi
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has spoken with his Indian counterpart to offer condolences for the Kashmir attack.

“Prime Minister Modi thanked him for sharing in India’s mourning and emphasized that the two countries stand shoulder to shoulder in the global campaign against murderous terrorism,” Netanyahu’s office said in a statement.

Relations between Israel and India have deepened under Netanyahu and Modi with the two countries enjoying a range of economic and security ties.

Last year, we reported that weapons had been transported from India to Israel during the country’s war on Gaza.How vital is tourism to Kashmir?
Tourism is an important component of the local economy, contributing nearly seven percent to its GDP.

A rush of visitors to Kashmir also serves the political messaging of Modi’s BJP that it has succeeded in bringing peace and calm to the region.

What is The Resistance Front, the group that claimed deadly Pahalgam attack?
The Resistance Front (TRF), a little-known armed group that emerged in Indian-administered Kashmir in 2019, has claimed responsibility for the attack that killed 26 people.

What exactly is TRF and what influence does it wield in Kashmir?