PAKISTAN’S defence minister yesterday said a military incursion by neighbouring India was imminent in the aftermath of a bloody incident in Kashmir that claimed 26 lives, as tensions rise between the two nations.
“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,” Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif told Reuters.
Asif said India’s rhetoric was ramping up and that Pakistan’s military had briefed the government on the possibility of an Indian attack.
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”.
On Sunday night, Pakistani and Indian soldiers once again exchanged fire along the border between their two countries, which have been experiencing heightened military tension since the attack.
Similar to the previous three nights, the Indian army reported that Pakistani forces fired light weapons at its positions, and that its forces responded with similar gunfire. New Delhi did not report any casualties.
Tensions between India and Pakistan have significantly escalated following the attack carried out by gunmen in Pahalgam, situated in the Indian-administered part of Kashmir.
On Wednesday, India responded by imposing sanctions, announcing a series of diplomatic retaliatory measures against Islamabad.
These included suspending a major water-sharing treaty, closing the main land border crossing between the two neighbours, and reducing the number of diplomats.
In response, Islamabad, after a rare meeting of the National Security Committee on Thursday afternoon, announced the expulsion of diplomats, suspension of visas for Indians, closure of the border and airspace with India, and the cessation of trade between the two countries.
Meanwhile, the United Nations Security Council called on both countries to “exercise restraint,” especially given that they have fought three wars since the 1947 partition.
Saudi Arabia stated that it is making efforts to contain the tensions between the two nations, while Iran offered to mediate to resolve the crisis.
In India, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) is conducting arrests and interrogations. Meanwhile, the army has destroyed dozens of homes belonging to suspects using explosives.
For his part, Omar Abdullah, the head of government of the region, affirmed his support for taking “decisive measures against terrorism and its roots,” but warned that “innocents” should not become “collateral victims.”
He stated that “the people of Kashmir reject terrorism and the killing of innocents, and have moved freely and spontaneously,” urging the avoidance of “any unfortunate action that could undermine this movement.”
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