Pakistan trying to avoid, but ready for 'all-out war': Khawaja Asif threatens India after Operation Sindoor

Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Wednesday said that Islamabad was braced for an “for an all-out war”, after India carried out Operation Sindoor, targeting nine terror sites including that of Jaish-e-Mohammad and Lashkar-e-Taiba in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) using deep strike missiles.

Speaking to CNN’s Becky Anderson, Asif said that India’s latest assault marked an “invitation to expand the conflict” between the two neighbors — but cautioned that Islamabad is “trying to avoid” a full-fledged war.

"This is a clear-cut violation, and an invitation to expand the conflict and maybe convert it into something much more wider and much more dangerous for the region," he was quoted as saying.

Earlier, speaking to Geo News, Asif said that a possibility of a nuclear war can't be ruled out if there is an extended standoff between the two nations, reported Pakistan-based publication Dawn.

Speaking to Bloomberg TV, Asif said Islamabad is ready to "end the conflict" if India backs down.

"It all depends on India, it has been initiated by India. If they are ready to back down... they have taken the initiative, we have just responded," he told Bloomberg in response to a question on how far Islamabad is willing to go after Operation Sindoor.

"We have been saying all along last fortnight that we'll never initiate anything hostile towards India. But, if we are attacked we will respond. If India backs down, we will definitely  wrap up these things. But as long as we are under attack, we have to respond."

In a strong retaliation to the Pahalgam massacre, India's armed forces early Wednesday destroyed nine terror sites including that of Jaish-e-Mohammad and Lashkar-e-Taiba in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) using deep strike missiles in a 25-minute-long "measured and non-escalatory" mission.

Fifteen days after the Pahalgam carnage on April 22, the targets for the military response codenamed 'Operation Sindoor' included the Jaish-e-Mohammad(JeM) stronghold of Bahawalpur in Punjab province that is located at over 100 km from the Indian border.