Ex-Pak cricketer questions Islamabad and Shehbaz Sharif on Pahalgam attack: 'Deep down, you know the truth'

Former Pakistan cricketer Danish Kaneria questioned Islamabad and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in the wake of a cowardly terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam in which 26 people lost their lives. The attack has been widely condemned by political leaders worldwide, with J&K's Chief Minister Omar Abdullah describing the incident as "much larger than anything we've seen directed at civilians in recent years". 

In an X post, Kaneria asked, "If Pakistan truly has no role in the Pahalgam terror attack, why hasn’t Prime Minister @CMShehbaz condemned it yet?" 

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has initiated an investigation into the attack. The security agencies have released sketches of the terrorists involved and identified a top Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) commander, Saifullah Kasuri, as the mastermind behind the attack. 

The cricketer further asked, "Why are your forces suddenly on high alert? Because deep down, you know the truth — you’re sheltering and nurturing terrorists. Shame on you." 

In another post, Kaneria asked, "Why do some Indian Muslims get offended whenever I tweet something? Genuinely curious — just asking." 

India's defence minister said Wednesday that those who carried out and planned the Kashmir region's worst attack on civilians in years would see a swift response. 

"Those responsible and behind such an act will very soon hear our response, loud and clear," Rajnath Singh said in a speech in New Delhi. 

"We won't just reach those people who carried out the attack. We will also reach out to those who planned this from behind the scenes on our land, he added.