ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan’s defence minister said on Monday that a military incursion by India was imminent in the aftermath of a deadly terrorist attack on tourists in Kashmir last week, as tensions rise between the two nuclear-armed nations.
The terror attack killed 26 people and triggered outrage in India, along with calls for action against Pakistan. India has accused Pakistan of backing the attack, the worst in years on civilians on April 22. Pakistan has rejected the charge.
“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 Pakistan’s 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.
He 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”.
The attack sparked a huge manhunt for the terrorists and India has identified two of them as Pakistani. Islamabad has denied any role and called for a neutral investigation.
Since the attack, India has downgraded diplomatic ties with Pakistan, suspended the Indus Waters Treaty, announced the closure of the main land border crossing and withdrawn visas for Pakistan nationals.
Mirroring New Delhi’s steps, Islamabad ordered the expulsion of Indian diplomats and military advisers, cancelled visas for Indian nationals and barred its airspace to Indian airplanes.
Earlier today, the Indian government banned more than a dozen Pakistani YouTube channels over their “provocative” content. The banned platforms include the YouTube channels of Pakistani news outlets Dawn, Samaa TV, ARY News, Bol News, Raftar, Geo News and Suno News.