Ahead of Pahalgam anniversary, Pakistan defence minister threatens to strike Kolkata
India and Pakistan trade increasingly sharp warnings just weeks before the first anniversary of the attack that triggered last year's brief military standoff
Signs of tempers flaring on both sides of the India-Pakistan border were visible this week, with the latter’s defence minister warning that his country would go to the extent of striking Kolkata, located more than 2,000 kilometres from the India-Pakistan border, to respond to any “future misadventures”.
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Khawaja Asif on Saturday (April 4) told reporters at his hometown of Sialkot, some 236 kilometres from the capital Islamabad, that if India tried to stage any “false flag operation” this time, Pakistan “will take it to Kolkata”. India did not come up with any immediate response to his latest warning.
The 76-year-old leader, who was vocal when India and Pakistan clashed during Operation Sindoor last May, claimed that there are reports that a false-flag operation has been designed through their own men or through the Pakistanis in their detention by laying down some bodies somewhere and saying “they were terrorists and had done so and so”.
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He, however, did not provide any evidence to support his claim.
Second warning in three days
It is the second time in three days that Asif issued strong statements on India after his Indian counterpart Rajnath Singh warned Pakistan against any “misadventure” at an election rally in poll-bound Kerala.
After he said that any “misadventure” from Pakistan in the prevailing situation would lead to an “unprecedented and decisive” reaction from the Indian side on Thursday (April 2), Asif countered, saying Pakistan’s response to any attack would be “swift, calibrated, and decisive”.
“Let there be no ambiguity: Pakistan remains committed to peace and regional stability, but its resolve to defend sovereignty is absolute, its preparedness complete, and its response will be swift, calibrated, and decisive,” he said.
Verbal exchange ahead of Pahalgam anniversary
The latest war of words came weeks ahead of the first anniversary of the terror attack in Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir on April 22, in which 26 civilians, most of them Indian tourists, were gunned down by terrorists. This event led to four days of air skirmishes with an abrupt ceasefire announced by President Donald Trump.
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Post the conflict, Pakistan has grown closer to the US, with both the heads of its army and civilian government making visits to America. Field Marshal Asim Munir also issued several veiled threats to India in the last year, including one indirect nuclear threat from US soil.
Last month, Abdul Basit, Pakistan's former ambassador to India, said Islamabad could target cities such as Delhi and Mumbai if Pakistan came under attack from the US.