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India stands firm as Modi vows justice ‘beyond imagination,’ Pakistan rattles ‘nuclear war’

The comments came in the wake of the 22 April terrorist attack in the town of Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir that left 26 Hindus dead.

In a chilling interview with Sky News’ The World with Yalda Hakim, Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif warned that recent tensions over a mass shooting in Jammu and Kashmir could spiral into “all-out war” between the nuclear-armed neighbours.

The comments came in the wake of the 22 April terrorist attack in the town of Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir that left 26 Hindus dead.

Image Source- Multiple sources- PTI, ANI and Indian government
Image Source- Multiple sources- PTI, ANI and Indian government

The Indian government swiftly pointed to Pakistan-based extremist elements, specifically The Resistance Front (TRF), an offshoot of banned terrorist organisation Lashkar-e-Taiba, as being responsible for the cowardly massacre. But Asif, in a controversial and unsubstantiated claim, alleged the attack was a “false flag” operation orchestrated by India to escalate tensions and corner Pakistan diplomatically.

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“The reaction that came from Delhi was not surprising for us,” Asif told Hakim.

“We could make out that this whole thing was staged to create some sort of crisis in the region, particularly for us.”

Sweating and stumbling through his justifications, Asif went further to claim that Lashkar-e-Taiba “does not exist” in Pakistan anymore, dismissing India’s allegations as fabrications aimed at justifying retaliatory strikes. This, despite the fact that Hafiz Saeed—mastermind of the 2008 Mumbai attacks and head of Lashkar—remains alive and within Pakistan’s borders.

When pressed by Hakim about evidence to support his explosive claims, Asif doubled down: “Yeah, yeah, yeah. Absolutely. Absolutely, they create these situations.” He cited the 2019 Pulwama suicide bombing and India’s retaliatory Balakot airstrikes as examples of what he termed “staged” events.

In another sharp escalation, Asif declared that if India launches any military action, “we will retaliate in kind,” adding ominously:

“If there is an all-out attack or something like that, then obviously there will be an all-out war.”

Asif urged the world to be “worried” about the fallout from a direct clash between two nuclear powers.

India, meanwhile, has adopted a firm stance. Prime Minister Narendra Modi broke his silence with a warning delivered in English:

“India will identify, track and punish every terrorist, their handlers and their backers. We will pursue them to the ends of the earth. India’s spirit will never be broken by terrorism.”

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From the election rally stage in Bihar, Modi’s message to the global community was unequivocal: those involved in the Pahalgam carnage “will be punished beyond their imagination.”

India has since downgraded diplomatic ties with Islamabad, closed the Integrated Check Post at Attari, and suspended the Indus Waters Treaty—calling on Pakistan to verifiably end cross-border terrorism.

Islamabad’s response was predictable: a blanket rejection of India’s accusations, suspension of bilateral trade, and threats to pull out of the 1971 Simla Agreement, which has been a fragile cornerstone of Indo-Pak diplomacy for decades.

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