Pahalgam terror attack: How Pakistan is preparing for the worst as India weighs response

India has taken a series of steps, including the suspension of the Indus Water Treaty in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 tourists. India has also shut its airspace to flights from Pakistan, mirroring a similar action by Islamabad. Diplomatic ties have further deteriorated, with both countries expelling envoys and engaging in nightly cross-border shelling, breaking the 2021 ceasefire agreement.

In addition to this, the Indian armed forces have been given full operational freedom. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has left it to security forces to avenge Pahalgam as per their mode, place, and time of choosing.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday declared that every terrorist behind the Pahalgam attack would be hunted down and held accountable. "Whoever has carried out the dastardly attack in Pahalgam, we will not spare anyone. We will hunt down each and every perpetrator," Shah said at an event in Delhi. He emphasised the Modi government’s zero-tolerance approach toward terrorism, especially in Kashmir.

ALSO READ: Nuclear Power! How India and Pakistan’s arsenals stack up

“If someone thinks they will escape by carrying out such a cowardly attack, they are wrong. This is Narendra Modi's government. We will not spare anyone,” Shah said, reiterating the government's commitment to uprooting terrorism from the country. Referring to the April 22 attack that killed 26 people near the tourist hub of Pahalgam, he added, “Do not think that you have won by killing 26 people. Everyone of you will be made answerable.”

Pakistan guarding Hafiz Saeed
As India-Pakistan tensions reach their highest level in years, Islamabad is responding to a concern it has yet to acknowledge openly — the possibility that New Delhi could launch a strike deep inside Pakistani territory, potentially targeting one of its most infamous assets- Hafiz Saeed.

The 77-year-old founder of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and head of its political front, Jamaat-ud-Dawa, has become the focal point of an extraordinary security operation. Pakistani intelligence services, working closely with the military, have quietly assigned former commandos from the Special Services Group (SSG) to his protection. Additional personnel have been deployed around his homes-including his current residence, which has been declared a "temporary sub-jail"-in densely populated Mohalla Johar in Lahore.

ALSO READ: Pahalgam Attack: Why China's support for Pakistan may be all talk, no action

A control room equipped with gesture-detection CCTV surveillance now monitors a one-kilometer radius around the compound, reflecting not just Saeed’s notoriety but Islamabad’s heightened anxiety about a potential covert hit.

India's silence before the storm
Amid these developments, Pakistan's media entered a frenzy. During a single news cycle, state-run channels claimed that Indian Air Force Rafale and Su-30MKI jets had crossed the Line of Control but were “chased away in panic.” A government alert issued at 2 a.m. warned of “imminent military action” expected within 24 to 36 hours.

ALSO READ: India asks IMF to review loans to Pakistan, government source says

But no confirmed incursion occurred. Indian officials stayed quiet. That silence only deepened Pakistan’s unease. Pakistani generals were left scanning the skies-and possibly chasing ghosts.

“There’s a real fear that the silence from Delhi is the calm before a storm,” said a Pakistani security analyst in Islamabad, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Madrassas shut & classrooms become crisis zones
On the ground in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, the anxiety is more tangible. Over 1,000 madrassas have been shut down “as a precaution,” authorities said, citing border tensions. In Muzaffarabad and towns along the LoC, schoolyards have been turned into makeshift training camps, an AFP report said.

Children as young as 11 are learning how to use fire extinguishers, administer first aid, and carry wounded classmates on stretchers.

In villages like Chakothi, located just three kilometers from the border, parents are keeping children indoors, and bunkers are being reinforced. “We make sure they come straight home from school. One shell is all it takes,” said shopkeeper Iftikhar Ahmad Mir.

Stockpiling of food for 2 months
“Instructions have been issued to stock food supplies for two months in the 13 constituencies along the Line of Control (LoC),” said Chaudhry Anwar ul Haq, the PoK PM, during a session of the local assembly. The PoK government has also established an emergency fund of one billion rupees ($3.5 million) to ensure delivery of “food, medicines, and all other basic necessities,” he added. Machinery has been mobilised to keep roads clear in the border areas, the AFP report said.

Tourist spots turn to ghost towns
The Neelum Valley, typically bustling with visitors and known for its green landscapes, is rapidly becoming deserted. Hotels stand vacant, and local shops are closing down. “Most tourists have left and returned to their cities because there is a risk of war,” said hotelier Rafaqat Hussain.

In contrast to India, where some tourist zones were closed by official order, Pakistan has issued no such directive. Yet the exodus speaks volumes. The valley, less than two miles from the LoC, has become an eerie warning of what might lie ahead if escalation continues.

US 'stands with India'
In the background, Washington is working the phones. US secretary of state Marco Rubio and defence secretary Pete Hegseth have spoken to both Indian and Pakistani counterparts, urging de-escalation. Vice President JD Vance went further, expressing hope that Pakistan “cooperates with India to make sure the terrorists... are hunted down.”

The US signals are growing sharper. “We stand with India and its great people,” Hegseth posted on social media after speaking with defence minister Rajnath Singh.

Meanwhile, Pakistan is waiting and bracing for the worst.

(With TOI inputs)