More than a week after the deadly attack near Delhi’s Red Fort, Pakistani leader Chaudhry Anwarul Haq has made a shocking confession about Pakistan’s role in cross-border terrorism. He claimed that Pakistan had targeted India “from the Red Fort to the forests of Kashmir.” His comments are now being linked to two major terror incidents.
The first incident was the high-intensity blast near the Red Fort metro station on November 10. A slow-moving car packed with explosives exploded in the area, killing over 10 people. The second was the brutal terror attack in Pahalgam, where 26 tourists were shot dead by Pakistan-linked terrorists in the forests of Kashmir.
Haq, who was recently removed from his position as Prime Minister of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir after a no-confidence vote, made these remarks during a session in the PoK Assembly on Monday. He said, “If you keep bleeding Balochistan, we will strike India from Red Fort to the forests of Kashmir, and our Shaheens have done it. They still can’t count the bodies.”
His statement came days after Indian authorities seized 2,900 kilograms of explosives from what they described as a “white-collar terror module.” This network was spread across Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh, and was linked to the Pakistan-based terror groups Jaish-e-Mohammed and Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind.
Pakistan’s federal government has quickly distanced itself from Haq’s comments. Officials told reporters that he made the statement out of frustration after losing power in PoK. However, his remarks are being seen in India as further proof that Pakistan’s security agencies work closely with terrorist organisations targeting India.
Tensions between the two countries had already risen after the Pahalgam massacre. India responded with Operation Sindoor, which destroyed terror infrastructure in Pakistan and PoK and killed over 100 terrorists. This triggered four days of cross-border firing until both sides agreed to stop hostilities on May 10.
Shivam Verma is a journalist with over three years of experience in digital newsrooms. He currently works at NewsX, having previously worked for Firstpost and DNA India. A postgraduate diploma holder in Integrated Journalism from the Asian College of Journalism, Chennai, Shivam focuses on international affairs, diplomacy, defence, and politics. Beyond the newsroom, he is passionate about football—both playing and watching—and enjoys travelling to explore new places and cuisines.
