‘Escalation is imminent,’ Pakistan’s defence minister says
Khawaja Asif, Pakistan’s defence minister, has told Al Jazeera that tensions will continue to escalate due to India’s actions.
“I have no doubt in my mind now that escalation is imminent because of the continuation of aggression from the Indian side, both on the ground and by sending drones today all over Pakistan,” he said.
“Before that, they attacked us with almost 78 planes … and five planes were downed by our air force. So this has been going on for the last three to four days,” he noted.
“We want to de-escalate the situation … but we are forced [to retaliate] by continuous aggression from the Indian side.
“So there is a very vivid and clear possibility that this confrontation will expand,” he said, adding that confrontations could take place along the Line of Control between Indian and Pakistan, as well as the international border between the two countries.