ISLAMABAD: Defense Minister Khawaja Asif said this week that the possibility of Pakistan’s tensions with India escalating into a nuclear conflict is a “far-fetched analysis,” saying that both countries are aware of the consequences of such a scenario.
Tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbors spiked this week after gunmen killed 26 tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir on Apr. 22. New Delhi blamed Islamabad for being involved in the attack and downgraded ties with Pakistan. Islamabad denies New Delhi’s allegations.
Troops from both sides have traded fire along the disputed Kashmir territory for three nights in a row, raising fears of an all-out war breaking out between the two nations who both possess nuclear weapons.
When asked about the possibility of a “nuclear standoff” between the two countries, Asif told Russia Today channel on Saturday:
“I don’t think so, that’s a very far-fetched analysis that this will ultimately result in a nuclear conflict. I don’t think so, the countries know the consequences of a nuclear conflict.”
The minister said that the presence of nuclear weapons guarantees Pakistan that India will not escalate military tensions.
“Knowing that we are nuclear powers gives us some sort of security against an irresponsible adventure by India,” he said, describing it as the “only hostile country around us.”
Asif said Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has offered cooperation to India in holding an international inquiry with the support of several countries into the attack that triggered tensions between the two countries.
“We are ready to welcome any commission or committee formed to investigate this incident,” the minister said.
Asif condemned India’s move to release additional flow of water into Pakistan on Saturday, which prompted the government in Pakistan-administered Kashmir to warn residents about potential flooding in its river Jhelum.
The Jhelum river flows from Indian-administered Kashmir into Azad Kashmir and then Pakistan’s Punjab province. India had announced this week it was suspending the decades-old Indus Waters Treaty, which regulates the flow of the six rivers of the Indus Basin between the two nations.
Suspension of the treaty means India can stop sharing crucial information and data on the release of water from barrages/dams or on flooding.
“I would call it water terrorism,” he said. “Without any warning. So low-lying areas in Pakistan would be flooded, there will be destruction of crops, there will be destruction of populated areas,” he added.
As per the Indus Waters Treaty, Pakistan has rights to the western rivers— Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab— for irrigation, drinking, and non-consumptive uses like hydropower. India controls the eastern rivers— Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej— for unrestricted use but must not significantly alter their flow.
India can use the western rivers for limited purposes such as power generation and irrigation, without storing or diverting large volumes. Experts, like Hassaan F. Khan from Tufts University, argue that India lacks the infrastructure to divert large amounts of Indus waters.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday warned attempts to reduce or divert the flow of water belonging to Pakistan under the Indus Waters Treaty would be “responded to with full force.”
