Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Asif claims there is a real danger Pakistan’s conflict with India will escalate to an exchange of nuclear attacks.
Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Asif issued a warning that there is a real danger of nuclear war in his country’s recent conflict with neighboring India, calling the danger “clear and present.”
Speaking with the Pakistani news channel Geo News last night (Wednesday), Asif stated, “Pakistan has faced such threats before and [the] region could once again be on [the] brink of a strategic standoff.”
“We have been saying all along the last fortnight that we will never initiate anything hostile toward India. But if India attacks, we’ll respond,” he added.
Pakistan claimed Thursday morning that its military successfully intercepted 25 Israeli-made drones allegedly launched by the Indian army into Pakistani airspace.
“India continues to send UAVs into Pakistani airspace. It will continue to pay a heavy price for this blatant aggression,” said a Pakistani military spokesperson, adding that the drone remnants have been collected for examination.
At the same time, Indian media reported that the Indian Air Force deployed SPICE 2000 guided bombs — precision munitions developed in Israel by Rafael. These reports come amid escalating clashes in the Kashmir region.
Later in the day, the Pakistani military issued another statement claiming that its forces killed between 30 and 40 Indian soldiers along the border between the two countries.
On Tuesday, India confirmed that it launched missiles towards Pakistan. Pakistani security officials said the missiles struck locations in Kashmir and in the country’s eastern Punjab province.
There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.
India’s Defense Ministry said in a statement that it had targeted at least nine sites “where terrorist attacks against India have been planned.”
“Our actions have been focused, measured and non-escalatory in nature. No Pakistan military facilities have been targeted,” the statement said, adding that “India has demonstrated considerable restraint in selection of targets and method of execution.”
Later, Pakistan’s air defense forces shot down two Indian fighter jets, and an exchange of fire between Pakistani and Indian forces erupted at several points along the border in Kashmir.
Earlier on Tuesday, Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif threatened, “If India dares to attack Pakistan and Pakistan’s existence is threatened, no one will survive in this world.”
The escalation follows a deadly terrorist attack in Kashmir, in which 26 people were killed.
Since gaining independence in 1947, India and Pakistan have fought three wars over control of the Kashmir region. Some of the conflicts involved Muslim insurgents from Indian territory who supported Pakistani rule.
Over the years, the Indian government has accused Pakistan of continuously fueling violence in the disputed areas.
