Pakistan’s defence minister has said a military incursion by India was imminent in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack.
“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 in an interview at his office in Islamabad.
Asif said India’s rhetoric was ramping up and that Pakistan’s military had briefed the government on the possibility of an attack. He did not go into further details on his reasons for thinking an incursion was imminent.
India’s foreign and defence ministries did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
After the Kashmir attack, India said two suspected militants were Pakistani. Islamabad has denied any role and called for a neutral investigation.
Pakistan was on high alert but would only use its nuclear weapons if “there is a direct threat to our existence”, said Asif, a veteran politician and outspoken member of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz party.
The minister added that Islamabad had approached friendly countries, including Gulf states and China, and also briefed Britain, the US and others on the situation.
“Some of our friends in the Arabian Gulf have talked to both sides,” Asif said, without naming the countries. China said on Monday it hoped for restraint and welcomed all measures to cool down the situation. Asif said the US was thus far “staying away” from intervening in the matter.