Pahalgam terror attack: India not buying Pakistan's, 'we've nothing to do with it' claim

World leaders have expressed shock and condemnation at the heinous attack on tourists on Tuesday.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah meets grieving families of Pahalgam terror attack victims (Photo | ANI)

Pakistan on Wednesday expressed "concern" at the loss of tourist lives in Pahalgam terror attack.

The attack took place in Pahalgam, a tourist hotspot in the scenic Muslim-majority territory that draws thousands of visitors every summer, as gunmen violence has reduced in recent years, the Dawn reported.

Responding to media queries concerning the attack, FO Spokesperson Shafqat Khan in a statement said: “We are concerned at the loss of tourists’ lives in an attack in Anantnag district of 'Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir,' " the Dawn report contended.

“We extend our condolences to the near ones of the deceased and wish the injured a speedy recovery,” he added.

Pahalgam lies 90 kilometres by road from the key city of Srinagar. It sits on a scenic meadow that has been used as a backdrop in Indian movies, most notably Bobby, the report said.

It also falls on the route of the annual Amarnath Yatra — a Hin­du pilgrimage to a cave shr­ine dedicated to Lord Shiva — which makes it one of the most protected regions of India-held Jammu and Kashmir, the Dawn added.

The brazen attack in the hig­hly protected zone has raised eyebrows across the region.

World leaders have expressed shock and condemnation at the heinous attack on tourists on Tuesday.

The Express Tribune claimed that following the attack, "the Indian media has started to fabricate and spread false and baseless propaganda."

Meanwhile, the Indian Express quoted Pakistan Defence Minister Khwaja Asif as claiming that they have nothing to do with the attack.

Indian officials, however, are not convinced by Pakistan’s denial since the initial probe has suggested the presence of foreigners as part of the group of militants who opened fire at the civilians, the report added.

“We have absolutely nothing to do with it. We reject terrorism in all its forms and everywhere,” Asif told a Pakistan TV channel on the Pahalgam attack.

Delhi was sceptical about Islamabad’s remarks as The Resistance Front (TRF), a shadow group of the banned Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) terror outfit, was said to have claimed responsibility for the attack, the report noted.