'Divorced from reality?': Pakistan masks marriage to terrorism behind same old Kashmir playbook

Pakistan’s Foreign Office tries to deflect blame for regional instability by recycling the outdated Kashmir narrative, while remaining deeply entrenched in supporting terrorism.

Pakistan has once again resorted to its usual tactics of deflection and denial after top Indian leadership exposed its direct role in sponsoring terrorism. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar recently took a firm stand against Pakistan's decades-old terror infrastructure, drawing attention to its central role in destabilizing the region.

However, in response, Pakistan’s Foreign Office (FO) issued a tone-deaf statement on Monday, bizarrely claiming, “Any attempt to portray Pakistan as the source of regional instability is divorced from reality.”

Kashmir as a Shield for Terror: A Tired Excuse

Instead of taking accountability, the FO attempted to shift the narrative by invoking the Kashmir issue once again—a tactic Pakistan repeatedly employs to justify its cross-border aggression.

“The Kashmir issue remains the core issue threatening peace and stability in the region,” the FO said, attempting to whitewash its role in funding and training jihadist groups operating in Indian territory.

“Pakistan will continue to stand firm in advocating for a just and lasting resolution to the Kashmir issue in line with the relevant UN Security Council resolutions and the aspirations of the Kashmiri people,” it further stated.

“To sidestep this fundamental issue is to condemn the region to continued mistrust and potential confrontation,” the statement added.

India has consistently affirmed that the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh have always been, are, and will forever remain integral and inalienable parts of the country.

Pakistan Struck First. India Responded with Precision and Purpose

After the brutal April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, which bore clear Pakistani fingerprints, India launched calibrated and precise strikes on May 7 under Operation Sindoor dismantling terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. These actions weren’t aggression—they were self-defence.

Pakistan, rattled and exposed, launched a series of desperate retaliatory strikes on Indian military bases on May 8, 9, and 10. But these failed attempts were met with a crushing and calibrated Indian military response, forcing Pakistan to back down.

Pakistan Talks Peace While Breeding War

In an astonishing display of hypocrisy, the FO added, “Pakistan remains committed to peace and constructive engagement, but it is equally resolved to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity against any aggression.” Yet it is Pakistan that continues to shelter terrorists.

If Islamabad is committed to peace, why does it continue to allow its soil to be used by globally designated terrorist groups? If Pakistan is not the epicentre of regional instability, then who orchestrated the attacks in Pulwama, Uri, Pathankot, and Mumbai? Who trains and arms terror groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed, and Hizbul Mujahideen? Who sends infiltrators across the LoC under the cover of ceasefire violations?

The military escalation was brought to a halt only after the intervention of the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) on May 10. But the cycle of violence is bound to repeat if Pakistan continues to believe that terrorism is a legitimate tool of state policy.

India has shown tremendous restraint in the face of constant provocation. But New Delhi has also made it clear—there will be no compromise on national security.