Pakistan Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar on Tuesday warned of a “stone for a brick” response to India as tensions ran high between the two countries following the April 22 terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam that killed 26 people.

Addressing the Senate session, Dar alleged that India might have staged the Pahalgam “drama” to abolish the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT).

“We will not be the first but if India did something, it will not be just a tit-for-tat reaction but we will respond to a brick with a stone,” he said.

Dar, who is also the foreign minister, also said that India could not suspend the IWT unilaterally and Pakistan would respond if it tried to divert the rivers.

“If India tries to interfere with water, then we will consider it an act of war as it is a matter of life for 240 million people,” he said.

He categorically stated that Pakistan had no involvement in the Pahalgam incident. He also informed the Senate that Pakistan had initiated diplomatic engagement with several countries, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, China, the United Kingdom, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Hungary, to highlight India’s historical actions and current intentions.

He said Pakistan was getting support on the issue of Pahalgam and “China and Turkiye have already taken clear positions on the matter”.

He further stated that China’s foreign minister had assured Pakistan of continued support, while Turkiye’s foreign minister offered help and was informed of Pakistan’s firm stance.

He also criticised India for failing to provide any evidence about linking Pakistan to the Pahalgam attack and affirmed that Pakistan was fulfilling its diplomatic responsibilities.

Earlier, the Senate discussed rising tensions with India following the Pahalgam attack. The session saw lawmakers united in their stance on national security.

Tensions have escalated between India and Pakistan after terrorists opened fire near Kashmir’s Pahalgam town on April 22, killing 26 people, mostly tourists, in what is the deadliest attack in the Valley since the Pulwama strike in 2019.

India downgraded diplomatic ties with Pakistan and announced a raft of measures, including expulsion of Pakistani military attaches, suspension of the Indus Water Treaty of 1960 and immediate shutting down of the Attari land-transit post in view of the cross-border links to the Pahalgam terror attack.

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