Pahalgam Fallout: Questions Grow Over India’s Claims Against Pakistan

Pahalgam Fallout: Questions Grow Over India’s Claims Against Pakistan

Pahalgam Fallout: Questions Grow Over India’s Claims Against Pakistan New​‍​‌‍​‍‌ Delhi has been continuously blaming Pakistan for domestic unrest, the kind of blaming that many say is aimed at shifting the attention of the public from political problems and gaining the approval of the public with such actions. However, those claims haven't been reinforced with concrete public proof. The political discourse vs. real facts were in sharp focus when the host of a state-affiliated show, on Indian TV, was asked to support the accusation of the Pakistani involvement by Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, but he declined it. After the attack in Pahalgam valley of the Himalayas in 2005, India quickly made Pakistan a target and even prepared military actions, based on the accusations of Pakistan as a sponsor of terrorism that were not made public by any evidence.

The story faced another challenge as Anwar Ibrahim announced that in the Malaysian security investigations there was no evidence connecting Pakistan with the Pahalgam attack. This is the way the political statements and independently verified information are different, right?

Why is that?

First of all, Malaysia is not a country with which any sort of rivalry can be imagined. Besides, it is a significant state in the Muslim world, a close friend (partner) of India’s, and the government of Kuala Lumpur has the power and interest to maintain stability at regional level. If the Malaysian government had found some evidence, it would have been a matter of a matter of presenting it. Rather, the authorities of Malaysia have made their position known to the public in the country of India and on the media of Indian Television, which amounts to a direct attack on the narrative of New Delhi.

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It must also be pointed out that some international investigations at times have pointed out that the allegations of the Indian side have not provided enough evidence to stand by or may have failed in scrutiny.

This method relies more on the use of a repeated message rather than a thorough verification. The official statements are taken up by the TV anchors then shared on various social media, and finally, they are even being passed off as proof of "international concern." But Governments, agencies and International organizations don't judge claims the way a viewer of a television might. Generally, they go for the fact-checking, cross-checking and evidence collection through checking the evidence, examining chain of custody and seeking names, dates, financial records, communications intercepts, etc. Pahalgam Fallout: Questions Grow Over India’s Claims Against Pakistan

This issue became particularly controversial after Pahalgam. New Delhi acted fast on national security, and yet the evidence publically proving linkingPakistan to the attack is not released. Anwar Ibrahim has now publicly claimed that Malaysian agencies have no such evidence, and thus the issue has been highlighted once again. What is there, if such evidence exists, to offer it to our allies before launching the military strike? And if that is not the case, then what was the reason to start the conflict?

Not only this, it is not considered the latest issue by the international world. The international investigations have repeatedly raised concerns on the credibility, strength, consistency, reliability or the very evidence of many alleged Indian actions against Pakistan. Still, the same tactics of the Indian side are pursued as they are not only politically effective but also a means of shifting national focus off of issues like intelligence failures, security threats and the radicalization of the public that is a domestic challenge. The thing that is politically good for a nation domestically however does not necessarily mean that it can hold up under the internationally recognized test of credibility. Pahalgam Fallout: Questions Grow Over India’s Claims Against Pakistan

Once the crisis is over, the world governments will be looking at how countries provide supporting for their ​‍​‌‍​‍‌claims.

Instead​‍​‌‍​‍‌ of getting the media spotlight, a country prefers presenting its case and seeking legal remedies from international bodies.

Critics say that compared to these expectations, India has been under continuous pressures. One example that stands out is the Anwar Ibrahim interview which was widely reported.

Allegations are not proofs just because the story is aired more times. Repetition may get attention but it cannot provide evidence. In today's world, where facts are known very fast, allegations without proof get heavily questioned.

Pakistan is pushing that there should be honest, transparent, and common inquiries regarding any terrorist incident that happen to check and see who exactly is responsible for the matter. If India's evidence is sufficient, then the said evidence should be shared with the other party so that the verification of the evidence can be done independently. If, on the other hand, India relies completely on unproved allegations to defend its position in the international arena, it would do a great damage to the confidence that people would place in them, reduce scope for cooperation between them, as well as it would seriously weaken their stance in situations when international alliances may be needed. Pahalgam Fallout: Questions Grow Over India’s Claims Against Pakistan

The announcement emanating from the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur was therefore of substantial significance as it was made directly in New Delhi. Basically, the point is that one should not be allowed to replace evidence with allegations. This incident again highlights the weakness in the evidential basis of New Delhi ​‍​‌‍​‍‌claims.