Lahore, May 10 — As tensions between India and Pakistan continue to spiral following a wave of cross-border military strikes, Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has clarified that the nuclear option is “not on the cards right now”, though he issued a stark warning about potential global consequences if the situation worsens.Speaking to Geo News on Saturday, Asif said, “At the moment the nuclear option is not on the cards. However, if the situation comes up, the 'watchers' will be affected as well.”
He cautioned that the fallout from an escalation could extend beyond the Indian subcontinent. “This is not going to be confined to the region only, it could be much wider … this destruction,” he added, stressing that Pakistan’s options were narrowing due to “the situation India is creating.”
The Defence Minister confirmed that no meeting of the National Command Authority (NCA) — Pakistan’s top nuclear decision-making body — has been convened yet.
Background of the Escalation
The rising tensions follow India’s precision strikes on terror launchpads in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) earlier this week. These strikes were in retaliation for the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam, which Indian authorities have linked to cross-border elements.In response, Pakistan reportedly launched drone strikes for a second consecutive night on Friday, targeting 26 locations across Indian states ranging from Jammu and Kashmir to Gujarat. The Indian Defence Ministry stated that attempts to hit critical infrastructure, including airports and air bases, were “successfully thwarted.”
Pakistan has alleged that its own military installations were targeted in return. On Saturday morning, Islamabad claimed that three of its air bases had come under Indian missile and drone attacks.
The ongoing hostilities mark one of the most intense exchanges between the nuclear-armed neighbours in recent years, raising regional and global concerns over further escalation.