Indian military strike imminent: Pakistan Defence Minister

In a sign of escalating tension between India and Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack that left 26 people, mostly tourists dead, Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif on Monday said that a military strike by India was imminent.

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Strategic decision taken

Speaking to Reuters, Asif also said that the Pakistan military was on high alert in view of the expected Indian strike.

"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," Asif told Reuters.

He also said that the Pakistan government had been briefed by the military about the possibility of an attack by India. However, he did not elaborate what triggered the input.

Also Read : Pahalgam attack: Can Shubham Dwivedi, a civilian, be a martyr?

Nuclear weapons not ruled out

Further escalating the tension between the two nuclear-armed countries, Asif said that Pakistan would only consider using nuclear weapons if its existence came under threat.

"Pakistan is on high alert and it would only use its arsenal of nuclear weapons if there is a direct threat to our existence," Asif added.

The Pahalgam terror attack, carried out by The Resistance Front, a proxy of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), left 26 people dead. The massacre has sparked a massive outrage in the country, with India swiftly responding with several diplomatic measures including putting the Indus Water Treaty in abeyance.

This prompted a furious response from Pakistan which said that any diversion of the water means for Pakistan under the treaty would be considered as an act of war.