Pakistan's defence minister Khawaja Asif has warned that Islamabad cannot ignore the possibility of an "all-out war" with India and that the country needs to be on "full alert". He said India cannot be trusted, adding that the country has been put on maximum alert for "any border incursion".
“We cannot ignore (India) in any way... We are not ignoring India, and our preparation and alert are at maximum. We cannot trust India in any way. We cannot rule out (attack) as India can directly intervene. It can continue attacks from there (presumably Afghanistan) and it can go for an all-out war as per its strategy," Khawaja Asif told Samaa TV.
The Pakistani leader’s remark comes amid his repeated claims that Islamabad is fighting a “two-front” war with India, referring to the country's borders with India and Afghanistan, calling it New Delhi's proxy.
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The defence minister said that India could launch border incursions or attacks, and that Islamabad should stay fully alert. He further claimed that India does not want Pakistan and Afghanistan to resolve their issues, Samaa TV reported.
{{/usCountry}}The defence minister said that India could launch border incursions or attacks, and that Islamabad should stay fully alert. He further claimed that India does not want Pakistan and Afghanistan to resolve their issues, Samaa TV reported.
{{/usCountry}}The remarks come hours after Indian Army chief General Upendra Dwivedi called Operation Sindoor an “88-hour trailer” even as he warned Islamabad of an overwhelming response if it attempted any mischief.
The army chief called the 4-day military confrontation with Pakistan in May under Operation Sindoor to a trailer, saying the film hadn’t even begun.
"As far as Sindoor 1.0 is concerned, I would like to say that the movie had not even started. We just showed them a trailer and that trailer ended in 88 hours…We are fully prepared for how things unfold in the future, and if Pakistan gives us a chance (again), we will educate them on how a responsible nation should behave with its neighbours," Dwivedi said at an event.
Khwaja Asif's many allegations against India
Speaking last week, Khawaja Asif said is “fully prepared” for a two-front war against India on the eastern border and Afghanistan along the western frontier.
“We are ready for war on two fronts. We are ready, we are prepared to face both the eastern (India) and western border (Afghanistan). Allah helped us in round one and he will help us in round two,” Asif reportedly said.
Asif has reiterated claims that Afghanistan was acting as a proxy for India and Taliban leadership was being manipulated by New Delhi.
While speaking of Islamabad's recent clashes with Kabul, he warned that India “could play dirty at the border”. Pakistan has alleged “Indian-sponsored terrorist proxies” behind the Islamabad bombing, a charge categorically rejected by India.