Khawaja Asif clarifies remarks about ‘imminent’ Indian military incursion, says words misinterpreted

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif clarified on Monday that his earlier remarks, which suggested an “imminent Indian military incursion” following a deadly militant attack on tourists in occupied Kashmir last week that strained bilateral relations, were misinterpreted.

The April 22 attack killed 26 people, mostly tourists, and was one of the deadliest armed attacks in the disputed Himalayan region since 2000. Kashmir Resistance, also known as The Resistance Front, said it “unequivocally” denied involvement in the attack, after an initial message that claimed responsibility.

India, without offering any evidence, has implied cross-border linkages of the attackers, while Pakistan has strongly denied any involvement. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has called for a neutral probe into the incident. India’s defence forces have conducted several military exercises across the country since the attack. Since the incident, the nuclear-armed nations have unleashed a raft of measures against each other.

Earlier today, Asif told Reuters in an interview at his office in Islamabad: “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 said since India’s rhetoric was ramping up, the Pakistani military had briefed the government on the possibility of an Indian attack. He did not go into further details on his reasons for thinking an incursion was imminent.

After the Kashmir attack, India alleged that two suspected attackers were Pakistani. Islamabad has denied any role and called for a neutral investigation.

Asif said Pakistan was on high alert and that it would only use its arsenal of nuclear weapons if “there is a direct threat to our existence”.

In a separate interview on Samaa TV show ‘Red Line’, Asif said: “We should be mentally prepared there is a war looming on the horizon. The possibility is there, a very vivid possibility that we can have war in the next day or two or three or four.”

Questioned about his remarks in an interview on Geo News, Asif said: “I think it has been misinterpreted on some other channel, Samaa. I have already talked to them and I have not said anything like this. They (the channel) asked me what are the chances of war, so I said that the next two to three days were crucial.

“If something has to happen, then it will occur in the next two to four days … otherwise the immediate danger will pass.”

Asif clarified that his statement should not be misconstrued as a categorical prediction that war would begin within the next two to three days, reiterating that he had only said the “upcoming days would be crucial.”

He said the news channel was making the necessary corrections as well.

The defence minister said there was “absolutely no doubt” that danger was looming, but “I never said anything about its inevitability.”

Asif added that other countries in the region were working to avert any contentious situation and de-escalate the matter.

“Pakistan is 100 per cent ready to face any combat situation if the country’s sovereignty is threatened or war imposed on it,” he said.

He reiterated that he had said there was a danger of war breaking out in the next few days but it could also be averted.