 "Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif. Reuters File")
Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Saturday (May 10) contradicted a statement made by the Pakistan Army, which was reported by Reuters, that claimed a meeting of the country’s National Command Authority (NCA) has been called.
The NCA is the top military and civil body overseeing the country’s nuclear arsenal.
Reuters on Saturday quoted the Pakistan Army as saying that PM Shehbaz Sharif has called on the body to meet, a claim now rejected by Asif.
“No meeting has happened of the National Command Authority, nor is any such meeting scheduled,” Asif told ARY TV.
Asif also appeared to downplay the threat of a nuclear war between the two neighbours.
“This thing that you have spoken about (nuclear option) is present, but let’s not talk about it - we should treat it as a very distant possibility, we shouldn’t even discuss it in the immediate context,” he added.
“Before we get to that point, I think temperatures will come down,” he added.
Earlier on Saturday, Pakistan escalated the ongoing conflict by attacking India with drones, missiles, and fighter planes. Pakistan launched at least one ballistic missile that is understood to have been launched at Delhi. It was intercepted over Sirsa in Haryana.
India responded to Pakistan’s aggression and struck at least three airbases . India struck the Nur Khan airbase at Rawalpindi’s Chaklala, Murid airbase in Chakwal district of Punjab, and Shorkot airbase in Punjab’s Jhang.
Since the beginning of the India-Pakistan conflict on May 7, Khawaja Asif has increasingly made global headlines for his controversial remarks.
Asif was criticised by Pakistanis earlier this month after he embarrassed himself and Pakistan for admitting on camera that his nation has been doing ‘dirty work’ of supporting and funding terrorism in South Asia for decades.