As the situation between India and Pakistan remains fragile, Islamabad’s defence minister Khawaja Asif has issued yet another provocative remark, this time, threatening the whole world – “If not us, then there will be no one,” Asif said in an interview.
Since the Pahalgam terror attack, the Pakistani minister has made many incendiary remarks towards India. He accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of “pushing the region to the brink of nuclear war.”
Asif also alleged that New Delhi was “involved” in the “terror plot” in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.
In a recent interview with Pakistan-based channel Samaa TV, Asif drew a parallel between the alleged threats facing Pakistan and the Israeli military campaign in Gaza. He suggested that the same aggressive mindset is driving both situations.
“This is the same mentality being applied by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his allies,” he said. “If something like this were to happen to us… if our very existence is threatened, God forbid, it becomes a matter of survival for us, then either we live, or no one does,” the defence minister said, adding that “Pakistan’s response will be remembered in history.”
Earlier on Monday, Khawaja Asif had claimed that India could launch a military strike along the Line of Control in Kashmir at any time.
His remarks followed a statement by Pakistan’s information minister Atta Tarar last week, who said that the next 24 to 36 hours were critical amid fears of Indian action. However, the period passed without any such move from New Delhi.
India cuts ties with Pakistan after deadly Pahalgam attack
The already sour India–Pakistan relations took a sharp hit after a terror attack in Pahalgam killed 26 people, most of them tourists.
In response, India took several tough steps against Pakistan. These included stopping the Indus Waters Treaty, closing the only working land border at Attari, lowering diplomatic ties, and shutting off the airspace for any Pakistan-affiliated flights.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said India would take “firm and decisive” action against terrorists and those who support them.
He also told top military leaders that the armed forces have “complete operational freedom” to choose how, when, and where to respond to the attack.
