Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif has publicly warned that India “could play dirty at the border” and said that Islamabad is ready for a “two-front war” because security is getting worse and tensions with Afghanistan are escalating.
Samaa TV asked Khawaja Asif explicitly in an interview if India might do something “vile” at the border because of how things are going in Pakistan right now. “Of course, you can’t rule that out. “Yes, this is possible,” Asif said, although he didn’t give any proof to back up his claim that the Indian military will act soon.
Claims of being ready and past encounters
The Minister then talked of a “meeting” with India “some months ago,” which seemed to be a reference to the military conflict that followed India’s Operation Sindoor against terrorist camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Asif said that during that war, Pakistani troops did not move from the border with Afghanistan.
The Defence Minister remarked, “The situation is not very good,” pointing out how hard it is for Pakistan to keep its people safe.
When asked if he or Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had led a meeting about a possible “two-front war” with India and Afghanistan, Asif said that a strategy was already in place.
“There is a plan for this.” We aren’t talking about it in public right now, but we’re ready for anything that might happen. That is something we are ready for. He repeated, “There is absolutely no doubt about it,” pressing down on the unproven accusation that India might try to use force.
Context: More problems with Afghanistan
Asif’s harsh words about India come at a time when tensions are rising between Pakistan and its western border, Afghanistan. Tensions rose after reports that Islamabad had bombed Kabul in an attack on Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) commander Noor Wali Mehsud. Kabul called this a violation of its sovereignty.
On the diplomatic front, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Thursday that Pakistan was willing to talk to Afghanistan, but only if the conversations were held in a way that was “legitimate and mutually respectful” after the two nations had recent border confrontations.
Sharif also said that Pakistan consented to a 48-hour ceasefire at Afghanistan’s request. This meant that it was up to Kabul to settle the issue peacefully through talks.