'Pakistan managed to internationalise Kashmir dispute,' says IIOJK CM Omar Abdullah

After India’s military aggression backfired, resulting in huge losses and international embarrassment, New Delhi also suffered a diplomatic blow as the Kashmir dispute resurfaced on the global stage. This shift was admitted by Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.

“We are in a place where we didn't expect to be. We are in a place where there has been bloodshed, suffering, turmoil, upheaval… everything has changed, and yet in some ways, nothing has,” Abdullah said in an interview with an Indian news channel.

Referring to the Pahalgam incident, Abdullah lamented that the victims had not received justice due to the Indian government’s decision to launch an attack on Pakistan. He also admitted that Pakistan had once again succeeded in bringing international attention to the Kashmir issue.

“Yet, when I say nothing has changed, Pakistan has, by design unfortunately, again managed to internationalise the question of Jammu and Kashmir,” he said. “The US, it seems, is now keen to inject itself into the matter as a moderator or interlocutor,” he added.

It is worth noting that on April 22, three unidentified gunment opened fire on toursits in the Pahalgam area of occupied Kashmir and killed 26 people.

Pakistan swiftly condemned the incident and offered full cooperation to India for a transparent investigation. However, India’s ruling Hindu nationalist party, BJP, accused Pakistan within minutes, without presenting evidence to justify its miltiary agression and subsequently suspended the Indus Waters Treaty, a World Bank-mediated agreement.

Following this, on May 6–7, India launched a military assault targeting civilian sites in Pakistan’s Punjab and Azad Kashmir regions. The Pakistan Army effectively thwarted the attack, downing five Indian jets, including three Rafales.

The Indian military sent Israeli Harop drones in Pakistan for surveillance and tensions escalated further along the Line of Control. On May 10, India launched fresh airstrikes targeting Pakistan’s airbases.

In response, the Pakistan Air Force, using JF-17 Thunder and J-10C fighter jets, struck back by destroying multiple Indian airfields, checkposts, and even disabling an S-400 air defense system.