Pakistan's Deputy PM calls Pahalgam terrorists as 'freedom fighters'

New Delhi: The Deputy Prime Minister of Pakistan, Ishaq Dar, on Thursday hailed the terrorists behind the Pahalgam attack as ‘freedom fighters’.

Dar, who is also the foreign minister of the country, told reporters that those who had carried out the attacks in ‘Pahalgam district on April 22 might be freedom fighters’, India Today reported.

Dar’s remarks came shortly after Pakistan officially condemned the terrorist attack, offering condolence to the grieving families.

Following the deadly attack, India announced some countermeasures including suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 alongside cancellation of visas issued to Pakistani nationals.

Dar called suspension of Indus Water Treaty ‘an act of war’, adding that ‘240 million people in Pakistan need water... you cannot stop it’, making it clear that ‘any suspension or encroachment won't be accepted’.

Anticipating India’s likely military response to the terror attack, Dar declared ‘If Pakistan is attacked directly, a tit-for-tat reply will be given’.

The National Security Committee (NSC) meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif termed suspension of Indus Water Treaty an ‘act of war’: ‘Any attempt to stop or divert the flow of water belonging to Pakistan as per the Indus Waters Treaty and the usurpation of the rights of lower riparians will be considered as an act of war’.

Pakistan Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif claimed India was planning attacks across the country, warning: ‘We will make them pay through their noses. If our citizens are harmed by India, Indian citizens will not remain safe either. It will be tit-for-tat.’