Islamabad: Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has once again issued a sharp warning to India, saying there is a “real risk” of war between the two countries and that he is “not denying that possibility.”
In an interview with Samaa TV, Asif made a series of provocative remarks about India’s history and Pakistan’s unity in times of conflict.
“I do not want escalation, but the risks are real and I am not denying that. If it comes to war, God willing, we will achieve a better result than before,” Asif said.
The minister also claimed that India was “never a united nation except briefly under Aurangzeb,” and asserted that Pakistan was “created in the name of Allah.” He added that Pakistanis might “argue and compete at home” but “stand united against India” in times of war.
Asif’s latest comments come shortly after similar threats he made in response to Indian Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi’s warning that Pakistan must stop supporting terrorism if it wishes to remain on the world map.
Earlier this week, Asif had said that any future Indian “aggression” would draw an even “stronger response” from Pakistan.
General Dwivedi, during a visit to forward areas near Bikaner, had declared that India “will not show the restraint” it did during Operation Sindoor 1.0, saying,
“This time, the action will be such that Pakistan will have to think whether it wants to exist geographically.”
Operation Sindoor 1.0 was launched by the Indian Air Force in retaliation for the Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir, which killed 26 civilians. The operation targeted nine terrorist facilities in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, including the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) headquarters in Bahawalpur and the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) base in Muridke, inflicting heavy damage on Pakistan’s military infrastructure.
India’s air defence systems also intercepted several Pakistani drones and missiles, preventing damage to civilian and military sites.
Since their independence in 1947, India and Pakistan have fought several wars — in 1947, 1965, 1971, and during the Kargil conflict of 1999 — primarily over Jammu and Kashmir. Each ended with a ceasefire, but tensions along the Line of Control continue to simmer.
