On Wednesday, Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif appeared to adopt a more pacifying tone, suggesting Islamabad is open to reducing tensions with India. This came shortly after he had issued a strong warning of retaliation in response to India's targeted strikes on terror camps across the border. In an interview with Bloomberg TV, Asif indicated that Pakistan would be willing to end hostilities if India steps back, hinting at the possibility of renewed dialogue after the deadly April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam that left 26 civilians dead. “This has been initiated by India. If India is ready to back down, they have taken the initiative, we have just responded,” Asif stated. “We have been saying all along, for the last fortnight, that we will never initiate anything hostile against India. But if we are attacked, we will respond. If India backs down, we will definitely wrap up these things.”

The statement reflected a softer tone than Asif’s earlier strong remarks, where he firmly warned that Pakistan was ready to respond with military force. Speaking to Geo News, he warned that “If India attempts to occupy even an inch of our land, it will prove to be a costly misadventure,” and said “We will respond with full force. We will pay off this debt in the manner such debt is paid.” Asif further mentioned that Pakistan’s response would include both “kinetic and diplomatic” actions and stressed that “it would not take long” for Islamabad to respond.

In a swift 25-minute operation named Operation Sindoor, India carried out strikes on nine terrorist camps located deep within Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) early Wednesday morning. According to sources, the missile attacks killed over 80 militants and were aimed at infrastructure tied to terror outfits like Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and Hizbul Mujahideen. The Indian government clarified that the operation deliberately avoided targeting any Pakistani military sites and was a measured response to the deadly April 22 terror attack. Pakistan’s Foreign Office strongly denounced the strikes, calling them an “unprovoked and blatant act of war,” while its military stated that it would retaliate “at a time and place of its own choosing.”