Sanchita Chatterjee, BS News Agency: The next attack will strike Kolkata! Pakistan's Defense Minister Khawaja Asif issues a stern warning to India—is this a strategy to escalate pressure? Following the ceasefire, India has taken a series of measures against Pakistan. Moreover, from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to various other Indian ministers, leaders have repeatedly spoken of counter-terrorism operations. At times explicitly naming Pakistan, and at others indirectly, New Delhi has made it clear that India will no longer adopt a defensive stance. Instead, it will "enter their home and strike." In other words, India has sought to convey that it will not be bound by any international borders in its efforts to eliminate terrorists. Recently, India's Defense Minister Rajnath Singh echoed this sentiment with a similar forceful declaration. Just two days ago, in an interview, Asif stated: "If India believes it can enter our country and kill someone, we will not remain silent." Now, he has further ratcheted up the rhetoric. Pakistan's Defense Minister Khawaja Asif signaled precisely this intent. While speaking to journalists, he explicitly declared: "If India conducts an operation in Pakistan in the future under any false pretext, we will take the conflict all the way to Kolkata." Relations between India and Pakistan have hit rock bottom. Ties between the two nations deteriorated even further following a terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir, last year. Alleging that Pakistan had a hand in that terrorist attack, New Delhi retaliated through "Operation Sindoor." A four-day exchange of fire took place between India and Pakistan in May of last year. Although the conflict was eventually brought to an end through a ceasefire agreement, tensions and diplomatic strain persist. This time, a tone of counter-warning was audible in Asif's voice. Just two days prior, in an interview, he had asserted: "If India thinks it can enter our country and kill someone, we will not remain silent. We, too, possess the capability to enter India and strike." The echoes of that interview were heard once again in the voice of Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister. According to a report by the news agency PTI, he claimed to have received intelligence suggesting that India is planning an operation under a false pretext—either utilizing its own operatives or by employing Pakistanis currently stranded within India. However, Asif did not present any evidence to substantiate this claim. However, he warned that if India launches an operation, the repercussions of the retaliatory strike would extend as far as Kolkata.
