Pakistan Will Respond Forcefully if India Imposes War, Khawaja Asif Says
NEW YORK, UNITED STATES — WEB DESK: Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has said Islamabad wants peace but would respond forcefully if India imposed another war on Pakistan, as he commented on regional security following Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s address at the United Nations.
Speaking to Pakistani media in New York, Asif said peace should remain the priority but warned that Pakistan would respond if conflict were imposed on the country. Express Urdu reported him as saying that any aggression would receive a strong response, referring to last year’s military confrontation between the two countries.
His remarks represent the Pakistani government’s position and should be reported as such rather than as an indication that a new India-Pakistan military confrontation is imminent.
Asif Praises PM Shehbaz’s UN Message
Asif also praised Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s address, saying the premier had highlighted major issues facing Pakistan as well as wider international challenges.
According to the defence minister, Shehbaz had also delivered a clear message that Pakistan would respond to aggression.
Asif described the prime minister’s message to the international community as comprehensive and said Pakistan’s preference remained peace.
The defence minister’s comments came as Pakistan’s delegation continued diplomatic engagements in New York around the UN General Assembly.
Defence Minister Criticises India
Asif also criticised India in his remarks, accusing New Delhi of hostile behaviour towards Pakistan.
Dunya News quoted him as describing India as Pakistan’s “sworn enemy” and saying Islamabad should not expect positive conduct from its eastern neighbour. This is Asif’s political characterisation of India, not an independent factual assessment.
Given the sensitivity of Pakistan-India relations, the distinction is important for publication.
The verified development is that Pakistan’s defence minister has reiterated Islamabad’s stated preference for peace while saying the country would respond militarily if attacked. Available reporting does not establish that either country has announced plans for a new military operation.
Asif Criticises Previous Afghan Policy
The defence minister also addressed Pakistan’s continuing security problems linked to Afghanistan.
Asif said a previous Pakistani government had pursued an Afghan policy designed to preserve its own political power and argued that the current administration had no connection with those decisions.
He claimed that the earlier policy had created difficulties whose effects Pakistan was still experiencing and said the government was now attempting to address those problems itself.
Those comments reflect Asif’s assessment of previous government policy and should remain attributed to him.
Pakistan has repeatedly raised concerns about militant groups operating from Afghan territory, while Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities have disputed or rejected some Pakistani allegations. The issue has become a significant source of tension between Islamabad and Kabul.
PIA US Flights Could Resume Within Six Months, Asif Says
Asif also commented on the prospect of restoring Pakistan International Airlines flights to the United States.
According to Dunya News, the defence minister expressed optimism that PIA services to the US could resume within six months.
The statement should be treated as an expectation rather than confirmation of a scheduled restart. The report did not establish a firm resumption date or announce final regulatory approval for restored US services.
Asif is Pakistan’s serving federal defence minister, having taken office in March 2024, according to the government’s official profile.
Regional Security Remains in Focus
The latest comments come during a period of heightened regional security concerns involving Pakistan’s eastern and western borders as well as continuing instability across the Middle East.
Asif has also recently been discussing Pakistan’s defence commitments under the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement with Saudi Arabia and Türkiye. In a separate interview published Saturday, he said Pakistan was bound by the agreement and described an attack on one member as engaging the obligations of the other parties under the pact.
His latest comments on India, however, should be understood specifically as a warning about Pakistan’s response if war were imposed, rather than evidence of a newly announced military action.
For publication, the clearest formulation is: Pakistan says it prefers peace, but Defence Minister Khawaja Asif says the country would respond forcefully to any Indian military aggression.
