Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said his country is ready to support a "neutral and transparent" investigation into the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which killed at least 26 people, mostly tourists, visiting the idyllic Baisaran Valley meadow.

The statement is unlikely to cut much ice with Delhi, which has always rejected third-party intervention in such matters.

"The recent tragedy in Pahalgam is yet another example of this perpetual blame game, which must come to a grinding halt,” Sharif was quoted as saying during a ceremony at the Pakistan Military Academy in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa's Kakul.

“Continuing with its role as a responsible country, Pakistan is open to participating in any neutral, transparent and credible investigation."

"Pakistan has always condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations," Sharif claimed.

Despite offering cooperation, Sharif emphasised that Pakistani forces remain "fully capable and prepared to defend the country's sovereignty and its territorial integrity against any misadventure as clearly demonstrated by its measured yet resolute response to India's reckless incursion in February 2019".

His comments follow remarks from Pakistan’s defence minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif, who told The New York Times that Islamabad was willing to assist in any inquiry conducted by international investigators.

Asif told the newspaper in an interview that Pakistan was “ready to cooperate” with “any investigation which is conducted by international inspectors.”

Asif also told UK’s Sky that his country has long funded and supported terrorist groups. “We have been doing this dirty work for the United States for about three decades, and the West, including Britain,” he said.

Since the attack, the nuclear-armed nations have unleashed a raft of measures against each other, with India putting the critical Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance and Pakistan closing its airspace to Indian airlines.

An outfit called The Resistance Front has reportedly claimed responsibility for the Pahalgam massacre. India says the Kashmir Resistance, also known as The Resistance Front, is a front for Pakistan-based militant organisations such as Lashkar-e-Taiba and Hizbul Mujahideen.

Asif claimed the Lashkar-e-Taiba was “defunct” and had no ability to plan or conduct attacks from Pakistan-controlled territory.

"They don’t have any setup in Pakistan," he said, according to the newspaper.

"Those 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," he said.