Pakistan is "trying to avoid" a full-fledged war, said Defence Minister Khawaja Asif hours after India carried out a military strike on terror targets in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Punjab province on Wednesday. However, the minister added that Islamabad "is prepared for an all-out war".
India's land, air and naval forces jointly carried out 'Operation Sindoor' in the early hours of Wednesday, hitting nine terror targets in retaliation for the terror attack in Pahalgam on April 22 that killed 26 people.
"There is a possibility of expansion of this conflict into a full-fledged war, which we are trying to avoid," Khawaja Asif reportedly told CNN's Becky Anderson on Connect the World.
He said that India crossed an international boundary last night and the attack was a "clear-cut violation, and an invitation to expand the conflict and maybe convert it into something much wider and much more dangerous for the region," he said.
Pakistan's top security body on Wednesday said the armed forces have been duly authorised to undertake retaliation "at a time, place, and manner of its choosing" to avenge the loss of lives. A hurriedly called National Security Council meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and attended by cabinet ministers, chief ministers, all services chiefs and senior officers, described the strikes as "unprovoked and an unlawful act of war".
"There is absolutely no doubt, because India is increasing the intensity, the stakes of this conflict, Asif said. "So we can't be caught with our guards down."
Earlier in the day, Asif was quoted as saying by Bloomberg Television that Pakistan is ready to "wrap up" tensions with India, if New Delhi de-escalates the situation.
"We have been saying all along in the last fortnight that we'll never initiate anything hostile towards India. But if we're attacked, we'll respond. If India backs down, we will definitely wrap up this tension," news agency PRI quoted him as telling the media.
According to Pakistan Army spokesman Lt Gen Ahmad Sharif Chaudhry, at least 26 people were killed and 46 injured in the missile strikes by India.
On Wednesday evening, Pakistan restored air traffic across major routes, while a few routes are to remain closed for another 24 hours. The country had earlier announced a 48-hour closure of its airspace for all air traffic after India carried out a military strike on terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. In a separate notice, it added that certain parts of the air traffic route in the Lahore Flight Region would remain closed at all altitudes for operational reasons until 12:20 pm on May 9.
