Pakistan's defence minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif has warned that India “could play dirty at the border” and insisted that the country is prepared for a “two-front war” amid rising tensions in Afghanistan.
Speaking in an interview with Samaa TV, Khawaja Asif responded to a question suggesting that India might commit a “vile act” along the border given Pakistan’s current situation.
“Absolutely, you cannot rule it out. Absolutely, there is a possibility of this,” Asif said, offering no evidence to support his claim.
He went on to recall a previous “encounter” with India “some months ago,” apparently referring to the military conflict following India's Operation Sindoor against terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, and asserted that Pakistani troops had not been moved from the Afghan border at the time.
“The situation is not very good,” he said, referring to Pakistan’s deteriorating security environment and tensions with Afghanistan.
{{/usCountry}}“The situation is not very good,” he said, referring to Pakistan’s deteriorating security environment and tensions with Afghanistan.
{{/usCountry}}When asked whether he, as defence minister, or Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had chaired any meeting on a possible “two-front war” involving both India and Afghanistan, Asif said there was a strategy in place.
“There is a strategy for this. Publicly, we are not discussing it at this time, but we are prepared for any eventuality. We are prepared for that. There is absolutely no doubt about it,” he said, repeating the unsubstantiated claim that India might attempt military action.
Asif’s remarks come amid rising friction between Pakistan and Afghanistan after Islamabad reportedly carried out airstrikes in Kabul targeting Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) chief Noor Wali Mehsud, a move Kabul denounced as a violation of sovereignty.
India backs Afghanistan on border clashes
India on Thursday came out strongly in support of Afghanistan amid its clashes with Pakistan, saying Islamabad has a history of sponsoring terrorism and blaming neighbours for its internal failures.
Clashes on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border erupted last week during a visit to India by Taliban foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, who made a push to address India’s security concerns by saying that the regime in Kabul wouldn’t allow Afghan soil to be used against foreign countries.
External affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India is closely monitoring the situation arising from the Afghanistan-Pakistan clashes. He also made it clear that the situation had been caused by Islamabad’s actions.
“India remains fully committed to the sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of Afghanistan,” Jaiswal told a weekly media briefing.
“Three things are clear – one, that Pakistan hosts terrorist organisations and sponsors terrorist activities,” he said.
“Two, it is an old practice of Pakistan to blame its neighbours for its own internal failures, and three, Pakistan is infuriated with Afghanistan exercising sovereignty over its own territories.”
What Shehbaz Sharif said
On Thursday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Pakistan was ready to hold talks with Afghanistan, but only on "legitimate and mutually respectful conditions" following the clashes at the border between the two countries.
He said Pakistan agreed to a 48-hour ceasefire at the request of Afghanistan, and now the ball is in Kabul's court to decide the matter peacefully. He said Pakistan is ready to resolve the issue at the dialogue table.