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Pakistan\u2019s defense minister on Friday declared his country\u2019s innocence in a terror attack that killed 26 people this week in disputed Kashmir territory controlled by India, and said that an international investigation into the attack was needed.<\/p>\n
In an interview, the minister, Khawaja Muhammad Asif, said that the country was \u201cready to cooperate\u201d with \u201cany investigation which is conducted by international inspectors.\u201d<\/p>\n
The minister\u2019s remarks appeared to be aimed at defusing tensions with India, after armed militants attacked a tourist group on Tuesday near Pahalgam, a town in the southern part of Kashmir. It was the deadliest terror attack on Indian-administered land in years.<\/p>\n
In the days since, India has moved quickly to take steps against Pakistan, which also controls part of Kashmir, including by closing border crossings and suspending a crucial water pact. Officials in India have said they suspect the involvement of at least two Pakistani nationals in the attack.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Mr. Asif said that India had used the aftermath of the terror attack as a pretext to suspend the water treaty, and for domestic political purposes. India, he said, was taking steps to punish Pakistan \u201cwithout any proof, without any investigation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pakistani officials have asked the Trump administration to mediate the dispute.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\u201cWe do not want this war to flare up, because flaring up of this war can cause disaster for this region,\u201d Mr. Asif said.<\/p>\n
The last major militant assault in the Indian part of Kashmir took place in 2019, when dozens of Indian security personnel were killed. After that attack, India launched airstrikes on Pakistan<\/a>.<\/p>\n Officials in Washington have not yet attributed the attack in Kashmir this week to any group. A little-known group called the Resistance Front has reportedly claimed responsibility.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n But the United States and other nations are wary about the aftermath of the attack. The loss of life has prompted sharp actions from India, and Western officials have worried that the tensions between two nuclear-armed neighbors could spiral out of control.<\/p>\n Still, Trump administration officials have expressed support for India. Vice President JD Vance was in India this week, a trip that came after Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence, delivered a speech last month in New Delhi on the importance of international peace.<\/p>\n Both Pakistan and India have closed border crossings and taken actions against diplomats. Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India said this week that his country would punish \u201cevery terrorist and their backers.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIndia\u2019s spirit will never be broken by terrorism,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Indian officials say the group that claimed responsibility for the attack is a proxy for the Lashkar-e-Taiba, a group behind the Mumbai attacks in 2008. <\/p>\n Mr. Asif disputed that allegation. He said Lashkar-e-Taiba was \u201cdefunct\u201d and had no ability to plan or conduct attacks from Pakistan-controlled territory. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \u201cThey are finished; they don\u2019t have any setup in Pakistan,\u201d he said. \u201cThose people, whatever is left of them, they are contained. Some of them are under house arrest, some of them are in custody. They are not at all active.\u201d<\/p>\n