 "Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif speaks during an interview with Reuters in Islamabad, Pakistan, on Monday. Reuters File")
Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has sparked fresh tensions with a provocative statement asserting that the country is “fully prepared” for a two-front war — against India on the eastern border and the Taliban along the western frontier.
According to an India Today report, while addressing a public event, Asif said, “We are ready for war on two fronts. We are ready, we are prepared to face both the eastern (India) and western border (Afghanistan). Allah helped us in round one and he will help us in round two.”
His remarks came after a suicide blast in Islamabad killed 12 people and injured 36 others.
In the aftermath of the attack, which was claimed by the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif alleged that groups “active with Indian support” were involved in the incident, while Defence Minister Asif asserted that the Afghan Taliban had sent a message through the bombing.
“The rulers of Kabul can stop terrorism in Pakistan, but bringing this war all the way to Islamabad is a message from Kabul, to which — praise be to God — Pakistan has the full strength to respond,” Asif said in a post on X.
Asif’s comments are being seen as a renewed attempt to project military strength despite Pakistan’s economic hardships and diplomatic isolation.
The minister’s latest remarks came on the heels of his controversial statements regarding the recent Delhi car blast, which killed 13 people near the Red Fort. Downplaying the attack, Asif dismissed it as merely a “gas cylinder explosion” and accused India of “politicising the incident.”
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View All“Until yesterday, it was a gas cylinder blast. Now they are trying to label it a foreign conspiracy. India could soon blame Pakistan for it,” he said.
Indian officials have rejected Asif’s assertions, describing them as “a desperate attempt to deflect attention.”
According to India Today, citing senior security sources, the minister’s comments reflected “Islamabad’s nervousness,” noting that early forensic reports pointed to the use of military-grade explosives in the Delhi blast.
With inputs from agencies