ISLAMABAD: Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has urged the international community to take serious note of rising tensions between nuclear-armed neighbors India and Pakistan, warning that recent hostilities could spiral into a full-scale conflict.
Khawaja Asif expressed deep concern over the situation following a deadly shooting in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), where 26 tourists, including one Nepali national, were killed in an attack in the scenic Pahalgam area.
India has accused Pakistan of orchestrating the attack, an allegation Islamabad has categorically rejected, calling it a “false flag operation” intended to deflect attention from internal failures.
Minister Asif emphasized that while Pakistan’s military is fully prepared to respond, any reaction will be calculated. “We will measure our response to whatever is initiated by India,” he said. “If there is an all-out attack or something like that, then obviously there will be an all-out war.”
Despite the stark warning, Asif said Pakistan remains open to dialogue. “We should be solving our problems through negotiations,” he reiterated.
Asked if the international community should be alarmed by the unfolding situation, the minister was unequivocal. “Yes, absolutely. A clash between two nuclear powers is always a matter of grave concern. If things go wrong, the consequences could be catastrophic.”
Meanwhile, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has vowed to track down the perpetrators of the Pahalgam attack “to the ends of the Earth,” further escalating tensions between the two countries.
When pressed on whether he believed India was responsible for the current crisis, Asif responded: “Yeah, absolutely. They create these situations.” He underscored Pakistan’s firm rejection of terrorism in all its forms and reaffirmed that the country had no involvement in the Pahalgam incident. “Pakistan has absolutely nothing to do with it. Allegations alone do not absolve India from responsibility—they must conduct a credible investigation.”
In response to the attack, India has taken a series of retaliatory steps, including the unilateral suspension of the decades-old Indus Waters Treaty, a move that has drawn strong criticism from Islamabad and further heightened fears of regional instability.
As the situation continues to develop, Asif’s remarks serve as a sobering reminder of the stakes involved—and the urgent need for diplomatic intervention to prevent the crisis from escalating beyond control.
