Khawaja Asif warns India against conducting ‘false-flag operation’

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Saturday said India was planning a “false-flag operation” to blame Pakistan, warning New Delhi of a strong reaction if it conducted such a “drama”.

Speaking to the media in Sialkot, Asif said: “They [plan] some kind of false-flag operation through their own men or through the Pakistanis in their detention by God-forbid laying down some bodies somewhere and saying they were terrorists and had done so and so.”

“The kind of insult they faced around a year ago […] the entire world, in fact, their own public, taunts them that they are five times larger than Pakistan in every aspect — population, resources, military, airforce,” he added.

The minister asserted that the Indian leadership would keep facing such backlash “till the end of the world”, recalling the Pakistan Air Force’s performance during the conflict with India last year.

“If they try to enact such a drama this time, then God-willingly, we will take them to Kolkata,” he added, referring to the eastern Indian city near the border with Bangladesh.

Speaking to the media, Asif also expressed hope that Pakistan’s efforts to mediate peace talks between the US and Iran would succeed.

“Pakistan is playing an important role in the ongoing US-Iran negotiations,” the defence minister said.

He added that Pakistan aims to promote “regional stability” and hopes the ongoing negotiations will lead to a resolution of disputes.

Pakistan has recently stepped into a significant diplomatic role amid rising tensions between the US and Iran, offering to host direct talks between the two sides.

The initiative was highlighted by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar following a high-level quadrilateral meeting in Islamabad this week that included Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Egypt.

The meeting underscored “dialogue and diplomacy” as the only path to ending hostilities in the Gulf region.

Dar said both Washington and Tehran had expressed confidence in Pakistan’s role, even as the situation on the ground remains volatile.

“The unity of Muslim Ummah in these challenging times is of utmost importance,” he said, reiterating that dialogue and diplomacy remain “the only viable pathway” to peace.

However, Iranian officials say the US proposals are difficult to accept and stress that their immediate focus remains on the ongoing conflict rather than negotiations.

Pakistani leaders, despite Tehran not giving a reply, have remained in contact with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in an effort to revive the process.

Pakistan has positioned itself as a facilitator in this process, leveraging its ties with the US, its working relationship with Iran, and its strategic partnership with China.

The initiative is being spearheaded by Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir.