Pakistan’s defence minister has told Sky News that a row over a mass shooting in Kashmir could lead to an “all-out war” between his country and India.
Speaking to The World with Yalda Hakim, Khawaja Asif said the world should be “worried” about the prospect of a full-scale conflict involving the two nations, which both have nuclear weapons.
But he also said he hoped the dispute could be resolved via negotiations.
It comes after 26 tourists were shot dead by gunmen at a beauty spot in Indian-controlled Kashmir on Tuesday – an attack that the government in New Delhi has blamed on Pakistan.
But Mr Asif denied the claim, suggesting India had “staged” the shooting in a “false flag” operation. He warned his military was “prepared for any eventuality” amid escalating tensions and diplomatic measures from both sides.
He said: “We will measure our response to whatever is initiated by India. It would be a measured response.
“If there is an all-out attack or something like that, then obviously there will be an all-out war.”
When asked by Yalda Hakim if the world should be worried, he replied: “Yes, I think so. The clash between two nuclear powers is always worrisome…
“If things get wrong, there could be a tragic outcome of this confrontation.”
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Both India and Pakistan claim Kashmir as their own, but instead control different sections of the territory.
The dispute over the land has claimed the lives of tens of thousands of people over the past three decades, although outbreaks of sporadic violence had eased in recent years – until this week’s shooting reignited tensions.
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Kashmir’s ‘terror attack’: What happened?
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has vowed to pursue those responsible for the attack “to the ends of the Earth”.
But when asked by Yalda Hakim if he blamed India for the attack, Mr Asif replied: “Yeah, yeah, yeah. Absolutely. Absolutely, they create these situations.”
However, he added: “We should be solving our problems through negotiations.”
When asked if US President Donald Trump should get involved to help resolve the looming crisis, Mr Asif said: “Definitely he leads the world power, the sole world power and he has been talking to different parties in different flashpoints all over the world.
“And this is also a flashpoint which has two nuclear powers that are drawn with each other. I think the attention of this situation and if the world power can intervene and there’s some sort of sanity can be brought to this situation, it will be good.”
He added: “Otherwise, if there is an initiative by India, we’ll respond in kind. We will not have any option, have absolutely no option.”
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