Iran Offers Mediation As Indo-Pak Tensions Escalate Post-Pahalgam

Amid escalating tensions between India and Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack, Iran’s foreign minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi on Friday offered via a social media post to “use its good offices in Islamabad and New Delhi to forge greater understanding at this difficult time, in line with the spirit taught by Persian poet Saadi:””

Saudi foreign minister Faisal bin Farhan also dialled his Indian and Pakistani counterparts against the backdrop of heightened tensions over the (April 22) Pahalgam terror attacks.

The Union Jal Shakti (Hydropower) Minister CR Paatil stated in his social media post that they will make sure that not a drop of water from the Sindhu river flows into Pakistan, in keeping with a decision of the (Narendra) Modi government.

The probe into the April 22 terror strike continues with special teams of the NIA reaching out to eyewitnesses, including tourists who survived the attack by terrorists of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), officials said on Friday even as Pakistan's Federal Minister of Defence, Khawaja Muhammad Asif, firmly rejected India’s "baseless allegations" implicating Pakistan in Pahalgam attack. Through a social media post, he reiterated Pakistan’s consistent and principled stance against terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, whether it occurs in India or any other part of the world. Emphasizing Pakistan’s right to defend its sovereignty, the Minister warned that any act of aggression or hostile intent from India will be met with a full-force response.

Initial investigations into the audacious terror attack, which claimed the lives of 26 people on April 22, indicate that the number of terrorists involved could range from five to seven. They were aided by at least two local militants who received training in Pakistan, Indian officials investigating the attack said.

Meanwhile, IANS reported from Surat, Gujarat: After the Pahalgam terror attack, Surat Police launched a late-night search operation, detaining over 100 illegal Bangladeshi nationals from various city areas. They had been living with fake documents and working in different sectors. It said an investigation was ongoing.