Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif sparked fresh tensions by comparing the threats facing his country to Israel’s military actions in Gaza, accusing India of adopting a similar aggressive approach.
In an interview with Samaa TV, Asif warned that if Pakistan's existence were threatened, it would respond in a way that "will be remembered in history," implying a doomsday scenario with the statement, "If not us, then there will be no one."
Asif accused Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi of pushing the region towards nuclear war and claimed India might strike across the Line of Control in Kashmir at any time. He also alleged Indian involvement in recent terror incidents in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.
These comments come after a deadly terror attack in Pahalgam that killed 26 people, mostly tourists, which led India to cut ties with Pakistan.
New Delhi responded by suspending the Indus Waters Treaty, closing the Attari land border, downgrading diplomatic relations, and shutting its airspace to Pakistani flights.
Prime Minister Modi vowed firm retaliation and granted full operational freedom to the military to respond to the attack.
