Amid rising tensions and ongoing cross-border clashes along the Line of Control (LoC), Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has suggested that Islamabad may have no choice left but to engage in a full-scale war with India.

Speaking to a Pakistani media outlet, Asif said, “We don’t see any other available means other than this option (war) due to the aggressive actions adopted by India in the last four days. We have tried to de-escalate the situation, but the chances of that seem minimal. We have to pay them back in the same coin." People should be certain that war is right at their doorstep, the minister said, though he didn’t explain how Pakistan’s military would conduct its operations. The minister said people should be certain that war was near, even though he did not explain how Pakistan’s military would conduct their operations.

Earlier today, Khawaja Asif made a strange statement, saying that the Pakistani Army deliberately chose not to shoot down Indian drones because responding would have exposed their defence positions to the Indian military. His comments drew heavy criticism and mockery on social media once again.

At the same time, Pakistan’s military spokesperson said on Friday that the country would not step back or reduce tensions with India, following several days of missile, artillery, and drone attacks, as reported by Al Arabiya. “We will not de-escalate — with the damages India did on our side, they should take a hit," said Pakistan Army spokesperson Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry. “So far we have been protecting ourselves but they will get an answer in our own timing."

Last night, Pakistan carried out a bold and unprovoked attack on India, targeting several areas in Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan, Punjab, and Gujarat. It tried to hit many military bases, but the Indian armed forces successfully shot down almost all the drones before they could cause any damage. In response, India gave a strong reply by targeting Pakistan’s air defence systems.

According to the Indian military, Pakistan used 300 to 400 Turkish-made SONGAR drones across 36 locations, from Leh to Sir Creek, aiming to strike military installations. The Indian forces shot down many of these drones using both physical attacks (kinetic) and electronic measures (non-kinetic). This massive attack, which included artillery fire, drones, and missiles, came just a day after India had carried out strikes on terrorist camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). During the Indian strike, an air defence system in Lahore was destroyed.

On May 7, India carried out Operation Sindoor, striking nine terror locations in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. This action was taken in response to the killing of 26 people in Kashmir’s Pahalgam on April 22. The Resistance Front (TRF), a cover group for the Pakistan-based terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), had claimed responsibility for the attack.