‘India Could Play Dirty At Border’: Pakistan Minister’s Bizarre Claim Amid Afghanistan Conflict

Last Updated:October 17, 2025, 09:09 IST

Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has said his country is “prepared for a two-front war,” citing potential tensions with India and ongoing border clashes with Afghanistan.

Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has said his country is “prepared for a two-front war”, as he expressed concerns over the possibilities of tensions intensifying with India, amid Islamabad’s ongoing border clashes with Afghanistan.

During an interview, a chunk of which is widely being shared on social media, Asif suggested that India might engage in “dirty games” during heightened tensions, and said, “Absolutely, you cannot rule that out. There are strong possibilities.”

Asif also said that Pakistan has prepared strategies to address potential escalations, while refraining from divulging specific details.

“Strategies are in place. I can’t discuss them publicly, but we are prepared for any eventuality,” he said, on being asked if he has had any meetings with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on the situation with Afghanistan and India.

India launched ‘Operation Sindoor’ in May this year, as a direct response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, in which 26 civilians lost their lives.

The attackers, identified as members of The Resistance Front (TRF), a proxy of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba, targeted Hindu tourists, resulting in one of the deadliest attacks on civilians in India since the 2008 Mumbai attacks.

India emphasised that its strikes were precise and aimed solely at terrorist facilities, avoiding civilian or military zones.

PAKISTAN-AFGHANISTAN CLASHES

Although the neighbours have clashed in the past, the latest fighting is their worst in decades, and erupted after Islamabad demanded that Kabul act to rein in militants who had stepped up attacks in Pakistan, saying they operated from havens in Afghanistan.

The Taliban denies the charge and accuses the Pakistani military of spreading misinformation about Afghanistanprovoking border tensions, and sheltering ISIS-linked militants to undermine its stability and sovereignty.

At least 18 civilians were killed and more than 360 wounded in Afghanistan as a result of the fighting since October 10, Reuters quoted the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) as saying.

Pakistan said that it had killed 34 militants in three separate operations this week.

In the latest, Shehbaz Sharif said on Thursday that Islamabad was ready to hold talks with Afghanistan to resolve their conflict.

ALSO READ | TTP Chief Appears On Video After Pakistan Claims ‘Elimination’

Vani Mehrotra

Vani Mehrotra is the Deputy News Editor at News18.com. She has nearly 10 years of experience in both national and international news and has previously worked on multiple desks.

Vani Mehrotra is the Deputy News Editor at News18.com. She has nearly 10 years of experience in both national and international news and has previously worked on multiple desks.

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