'Indian incursion imminent; we've reinforced our forces,' says Pakistan defence minister

Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif said on Monday that an Indian military incursion was imminent in the aftermath of the terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam last week.

 

"We have reinforced our forces because it is something which is imminent now. So in that situation some strategic decisions have to be taken, so those decisions have been taken," Asif told Reuters.

 

His remarks came amid the heightened tension between the nuclear-armed neighbours after the terror attack, in which New Delhi has alleged cross-border links.

 

At least 26 people, mostly tourists, were killed as terrorists sprayed bullets indiscriminately at them in the scenic valley in Anantnag district on April 22.

 

India has claimed to have identified two terrorists behind the attack as Pakistanis even as the security forces have been carrying out a massive operation to track them down.

 

Asif told Reuters that India's "rhetoric" was ramping up and that Pakistan's military had briefed the government on the possibility of an Indian attack. 

 

In the aftermath of the attack—the deadliest in Kashmir in decades—New Delhi had announced a slew of punitive measures against Pakistan, including the suspension of the Indus Water Treaty and closing the Attari land border crossing.

 

India's decision to put the water treaty in abeyance has sparked outrage among the political leadership in Islamabad.

 

Meanwhile, tensions remain high on the border as the Pakistan Army opened fire at the Indian posts, drawing sharp retaliation from the Indian side.

 

The Indian Army said it had responded to "unprovoked" small arms fire from multiple Pakistan Army posts around midnight on Sunday along the 740-km (460-mile) de facto border.

 

 

 

 

 

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