Rajnath Singh Warns Pakistan Against 'Misadventure'; Khawaja Asif Cautions Against Escalation
New Delhi: Defence minister Rajnath Singh on April 2 warned that any “misadventure” by Pakistan would invite “unprecedented and decisive” action, prompting a response from Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, who cautioned against escalation between two nuclear-armed states.
Addressing a Sainik Samman Sammelan in Kerala which is in the middle of campaigning for assembly elections, Singh referred to India’s response to the April 2025 Pahalgam attack that killed 26 civilians, saying Indian forces had struck terrorist infrastructure across the border under “Operation Sindoor”.
“I would like to tell you the operation is not over yet. If such dirty actions are repeated by Pakistan, our armed forces will give a befitting reply which they would not forget ever. What will happen this time will be an unprecedented action,” he said.
He added that “in the prevailing situation, our neighbour can do any misadventure”, and said India’s response would be decisive if that were to happen. Singh also pointed to what he described as a shift in India’s security posture under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, citing earlier cross-border strikes after attacks in Uri and Pulwama.
Responding in a post on X in which he tagged Rajnath Singh, Asif said the “illusion of space for war between two nuclear states is inconceivable and has drastic consequences”.
He accused India of engaging in “threat-mongering” and attempting to provoke escalation based on what he called “unsubstantiated allegations”. Reiterating Pakistan’s denial of involvement in the Pahalgam attack, he repeated that it was a false flag operation without any evidence
“Let there be no ambiguity: Pakistan remains committed to peace and regional stability, but its resolve to defend sovereignty is absolute, its preparedness complete, and its response will be swift, calibrated, and decisive,” he said.
Asif also warned that any miscalculation would carry consequences, referring to last year’s brief military escalation following the Pahalgam attack.
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