Pakistan Backtracks: Minister's Tone Softened

Hours after India’s precision strikes in Pakistan and PoK, the country’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, who on Tuesday had said “either we survive or no one does", said they were ready to refrain from further action if India halts its operations on the border.

The remarks came as Islamabad gasped for breath after four targets in Pakistan’s Punjab and five in PoK, were blown up by the Indian military non-contact strikes late at night as New Delhi avenged the Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 were killed.

“This has been initiated by India. If India is ready to back down, they have taken the initiative, we have just responded. We have been saying that we will never initiate anything hostile towards India. But if we are attacked, we will respond. If India backs down, we will definitely wrap up these things. But as long as we are under fire, we have to respond," Asif told a news channel.

His remarks show another backtrack by Pakistan, whose Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, had said after the closed-door UNSC meeting that while Pakistan does not seek confrontation, Islamabad was “fully prepared to defend our sovereignty and territorial integrity".

Pakistan’s efforts to internationalise the Pahalgam issue failed miserably. The UNSC did not issue a statement on the meeting and instead asked tough questions of Islamabad over the existence of terrorism on its soil.

On Tuesday, Asif said, “If India dares to attack Pakistan and Pakistan’s existence comes under threat, nobody will survive in this world." Asif had also likened the situation to the Israeli military offensive in Gaza, saying that the same mentality is being applied by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his allies. “If this were to happen to us… if our existence is in danger, then either we survive, or no one does," he added.

Earlier, Asif warned that New Delhi could launch a military strike at any moment along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir. “There are reports that India may strike at any point along the LoC… New Delhi will be given a befitting reply," he told reporters in Islamabad.

In the early morning strike called Operation Sindoor, India targeted Muzaffarabad, Kotli, Sialkot, Barnala, and Bahawalpur in Pakistan and Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK). These facilities trained terrorists and were also instrumental in the infiltration of Lashkar, Hizbul, and JeM terrorists into India.