In his first statement issued since the 14 February Pulwama terror attack, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan accused India of blaming his country “without evidence” and warned of retaliation against any military action by India.

At the same time, Khan, who is known for his closeness with Pakistan’s military establishment, said that the issue between the two countries can be solved through dialogue.

“My statement is for the Indian government. You (Indian govt) have blamed the Pakistan government without any evidence,” he said in an address aired by Radio Pakistan.

“It is in our interest that nobody from our soil spreads violence. I want to tell Indian govt that we will take action if evidence is found against anyone from Pakistan ─ not because we are under pressure, but because they [any individuals found involved] are acting as enemies of Pakistan,” Khan, who is the chief of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI), added.

“Pakistan ko isse kya faayda hai? Kyu Pakistan karega iss stage ke upar jab Pakistan stability ki taraf ja raha hai? (What will Pakistan gain from this [terror attack]? Why will Pakistan do something like this when it is moving towards stability?)” Khan argued.

He accused India of making “Islamabad a whipping boy again and again each time something happens in Kashmir” instead of “trying to resolve the Kashmir issue”.

“If you (Indian govt) think you will attack us and we will not think of retaliating, we will retaliate. We all know starting a war is in the hands of humans, where it will lead us only God knows,” he said.

Khan said that India is facing an election year. “And we believe that during the election, [you think] you will get a big boost if you ‘teach Pakistan a lesson’,” he said.

Khan stressed that “this issue should be solved through dialogue”.

“We are ready to talk about terrorism. Terrorism is a regional issue […] We want terrorism in the region to end,” he stated. “Pakistan has been the worst affected by terrorism […] Therefore, we are ready to talk with you,” he added.

He said that he would have responded to the Pulwama terror attack immediately but chose not to “divert attention” from the visit of the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia and the investment conference.

The 14 February Pulwama terror attack, which killed 44 personnel from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), was carried out by a Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) suicide bomber. The JeM, which is based in Pakistan’s Bahawalpur, claimed responsibility soon after the attack.

India has been accusing Pakistan of shielding terror masterminds such as JeM chief Maulana Masood Azhar and JuD chief Hafiz Saeed.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had during events after 14 February said that the armed forces have been given a free hand to avenge the dastardly terror attack.

“Main aatanki sangathanon ko aur unke sarparaston ko kehna chahta hun ki woh bahut badi galti kar chuke hain. Bahut badi kemaat unko chukani padegi (I tell the terror groups and their backers that they will have to pay a very heavy price for the grave mistake they have done),” he said.

In a warning to Pakistan, PM Modi said the nefarious dreams of our neighbour will never be fulfilled.

Read More | You will pay a heavy price for Pulwama attack: PM Modi tells terror groups, Pakistan

“If our neighbour thinks that these dastardly acts will create tension in India, then it should forget this dream. It can never do that and it will never happen,” he said a day after the attack.