Pakistan minister Khawaja Asif says chances of war with India 'very real', resorts to religious rhetoric

Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif

Pakistan defence minister Khawaja Asif yet again spewed venom against India, saying that the chances of another war with the neighbouring country are very real.

In an interview to a Pakistani TV channel, Asif claimed that while Pakistan was created in the "name of Allah", India has never been a united nation throughout its history.

"History shows that India has never been one united nation, except briefly under Aurangzeb. Pakistan was created in the name of Allah. At home we argue and compete. In a fight with India, we come together," Asif claimed, even though his country has lost every war it has fought against India.

The Pakistani minister added that Islamabad does not want any escalation with India but added that "the risks are real and I am not denying that".

"If it comes to war, God willing, we will achieve a better result than before Inshallah," Khawaja Asif told Samaa TV.

The communal undertones in Asif's latest remarks echo past statements of Pakistan's army chief Asim Munir, who has been using religion to spread hatred against India. In a provocative speech before the Pahagam attack, Munir had said that "we are different from Hindus" in every way.

"Our religions are different, our customs are different, our traditions are different, our thoughts are different, our ambitions are different," Munir said, while reassertig the ideological basis of the two-nation theory. The speech was later seen as a direct trigger for the dastardly attack in Pahalgam on April 22.

In May, India launched Operation Sindoor to target terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) to avenge the deadly Pahalgam attack.

The operation triggered an intense four-day military conflict, which ended after India struck multiple air bases across Pakistan, prompting the Pakistani DGMO to reach out to his Indian counterpart. Satellite images have revealed the extent of destruction suffered by Pakistan following missile attacks by India.