Pakistan ready for 'neutral' probe of Pahalgam attack

Pakistan's Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif announced his readiness to defend the country on Saturday, after New Delhi blamed a deadly attack in Kashmir on Islamabad, sending already fraught relations into a tailspin with soldiers exchanging gunfire across their contested frontier.

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"Pakistan is open to participating in any neutral, transparent and credible investigation," Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif said while addressing a ceremony at a military academy in the city of Abbottabad on Saturday.

Shahbaz also called for a "neutral investigation," with India accusing Pakistan of supporting "cross-border terrorism" after gunmen carried out the worst attack on civilians in Kashmir for a quarter of a century.

Islamabad denies involvement in the April 22 attack on tourists in Pahalgam, where a gang of gunmen killed 26 men.

"Our valiant armed forces remain fully capable and prepared to defend the country's sovereignty," Shahbaz said in Abbottabad.