Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Wednesday said that the chances of conflict with India were increasing with the passage of time despite efforts by different countries to defuse the tensions between the two neighbours.
Asif made the remarks while talking to the media outside the parliament, where he was asked about the latest security situation.
“Chances (of conflict) are increasing with the passage of time; they are not decreasing. Though many countries have been trying to avert the situation,” he said.
Asif also vowed to give a suitable response to India in case of any attack on Pakistan but refused to provide the details of the Pakistani response.
“If there is a violation by India, we will respond and the nature of our response will be determined by the Indian action,” he said.
“There should be no doubt about our response,” he stressed.
He expressed his desire that “India will see sense” but added that there was no evidence on ground because there was no decrease in the escalation.
Replying to a question, he said may God help to avert the situation of conflict.
To another question, he said, “I do not want to speculate about the response by Pakistan but it will be bigger than Indian action.”
On Monday, Asif had said that a military incursion by India was imminent.
“We have reinforced our forces because it is something which is imminent now. So in that situation some strategic decisions have to be taken, so those decisions have been taken,” Asif told Reuters in an interview.
In the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack, Pakistan, as expected, vehemently denied any involvement. Islamabad condemned the attack and reiterated its commitment to fighting terrorism. However, these denials ring increasingly hollow in the face of mounting evidence and historical precedent.
