Tensions between India and Pakistan have sharply escalated after Pakistan’s Information Minister, Attaullah Tarar claimed in an emergency statement that India is preparing to launch a military operation against Pakistan within the next 24 to 36 hours. Tarar asserted that Islamabad possesses “credible intelligence” of imminent Indian military action, warning that any aggression would be met with a “decisive response” and that India would bear full responsibility for any consequences in the region. No concrete evidence was provided to support these claims, and the Indian government has not yet issued an official response.

This development follows the deadly April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Indian-administered Kashmir, where 26 tourists were killed in the worst assault on Indian civilians since 2008. India has accused Pakistan-based militants of orchestrating the attack, an allegation Islamabad strongly denies. In response, Pakistan has called for an independent investigation by a neutral commission, while accusing India of using “baseless and concocted allegations” as a pretext for military action.

In the aftermath of the Pahalgam attack, India has implemented a series of punitive measures, including expelling Pakistani diplomats, suspending the Indus Waters Treaty, revoking Pakistani visas, and closing border transit points. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given the Indian armed forces “complete operational freedom” to determine the mode, targets, and timing of any response, vowing to “identify, track, and punish” the perpetrators and their backers.

Meanwhile, ceasefire violations have intensified along the Line of Control, with both armies exchanging fire across multiple sectors in Jammu and Kashmir. Pakistan’s military is reportedly on high alert, and both countries have suspended key bilateral agreements, raising fears among analysts of an unprecedented breakdown in diplomatic relations and the risk of further escalation between the two nuclear-armed neighbors.