WEBDESK: In a interview with The Wire, veteran Pakistani journalist Najam Sethi addressed the recent Pahalgam attack, cautioning against the potential for heightened tensions between India and Pakistan, calling it a “false flag operation” allegedly orchestrated by India’s deep state. He said,” If there is any attempt to divert the water, Pakistan will use nuclear weapons.”
According to Najam Sethi, threats to block Pakistan’s water, starve the country, or cross into its territory, including Azad Kashmir, would be treated as acts of war. He cautioned that any attempt to blockade Karachi or violate Pakistani sovereignty would invite a serious, possibly nuclear, response. “If Pakistan is not going to exist after this, then we might as well blow everybody else and go to heaven,” he said.
He also addressed Pakistan’s internal situation at the time of the incident. He said that the Pakistani Army Chief was responding to a devastating attack in Balochistan targeting a train carrying service members’ families, an act claimed by the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), a group that has publicly accepted foreign support, including from India.
However, Sethi stressed that Pakistan had not directly blamed India for that incident, contrasting this with India’s immediate allegations following the Pahalgam attack.
Challenging India’s claims, Najam Sethi demanded evidence be presented not to Indian media, but to Pakistan and the international community. “If you have nothing to hide, you should be seeking an international investigation,” he stated.
Sethi dismissed Indian Army Chief’s claims linking Pakistan to the Pahalgam attack and took issue with statements referencing religious identity. He argued that it is the BJP government that has aggressively played the Hindutva card, not Pakistan.
He also criticized the misuse of the Indus Waters Treaty, calling India’s threats to cut off Pakistan’s water ‘morally and legally reprehensible.’
Najam Sethi also noted the calm response from the Pakistani public, saying, “This isn’t war-mongering,” and pointed out that instead of reacting with aggression, Pakistanis are making memes and jokes about the current situation on social media.
