Pakistan's Information and Broadcasting Minister Attaullah Tarar was left red-faced on live television after Sky News journalist Yalda Hakim fact-checked his country's history of supporting terrorist organisations, just hours after India's military action on terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (POK).
During an appearance on Sky News, Tarar alleged that the Indian ministry targeted civilian areas - a claim that was dismantled by Hakim.
"The Indian armed forces have said that they only targeted terrorist camps and not Pakistani military facilities," the anchor said. India carried out missile strikes on nine terror targets, including the Jaish-e-Mohammad stronghold of Bahawalpur and Lashkar-e-Taiba's base in Muridke.
Tarah tried to deny the fact, saying, "Let me make it very clear, there are no terrorist camps in Pakistan. Pakistan is a victim of terrorism. We are fighting terrorism on our western borders. We are the frontline state against terrorism. We have laid down 90 thousand lives in this war against terrorism."
"India, on the other hand, when we had the Jafar Express hijacking, India did not even condemn it, let alone express any concern about the incident," Tarar claimed on the show.
Hakim interjected, pointing to Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif's recent admission on her earlier show about his country doing "dirty work" of sponsoring terrorism for the United States for three decades.
"On my programme, just a week ago, your Defence Minister Khawaja Asif admitted that Pakistan has for decades had a policy of funding, backing and using terrorist groups as proxies in the country (India). In fact, in 2018, President Donald Trump cut military aid to Pakistan because he accused Pakistan of playing a double game,' she said.
She continued, "So, when you say there are no terrorist camps in Pakistan, that is going against what General Parvez Musharraf has said, what Benazir Bhutto has said, what your Defence Minister has said just a week ago. In fact, Bilawal Bhutto told me a few days ago that funding and backing terrorist organisations have been and was part of Pakistan's history."
Tarar struggled to respond before claiming, "Post 9/11, Pakistan was a frontline state, and we still are a frontline state in eliminating terrorism. We are the guarantor of world peace because we are the wall between terrorists and the rest of the world."
He then proceeded to invite Hakim to visit Pakistan. At this point, she reminded the Pakistani Minister that Al-Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden, who was the mastermind of the 9/11 terror attack, was found in Pakistan's Abbottabad, before being gunned down by the US military in 2011.
"I have been to Pakistan, and we know that Osama Bin Laden was discovered in Abbottabad in Pakistan," she said.
India on Wednesday said it exercised its right to respond, preempt, as well as deter more cross-border attacks such as the one in Pahalgam, and asserted that it focused on dismantling the terror infrastructure and disabling terrorists.
In a statement, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri stressed the actions were measured, non-escalatory, proportionate and responsible.
Recalling the United Nations Security Council press statement on the Pahalgam attack, Misri said it underlined the "need to hold perpetrators, organisers, financiers, and sponsors of this reprehensible act of terrorism accountable and bring them to justice".
"India's latest action should be seen in this context," Misri added.
