‘If war is imposed, Pakistan will respond’: Khawaja Asif

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif stated on Friday that Pakistan would retaliate strongly if war is imposed on the country, referring to the military standoff with India last year.

No suggestionsAddressing Pakistani media after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s speech, Asif stressed that peace should be the top priority and commended the premier for what he called a comprehensive message to the international community.If conflict is thrust upon us, we will do the same thing we did last year,” Asif stated. The defence minister also attacked past governments’ policy toward Afghanistan, saying the present administration was paying the price for decisions taken by prior administrations.

Asif accused New Delhi of deceit and warned that Pakistan could not anticipate positive behaviour from its eastern neighbour on India. “India is our arch enemy and we should expect such hypocrisy from India,” he remarked.

Asif also voiced confidence about the resumption of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flights to the United States, saying he was sure the service would be resumed, God willing, within six months.