Pakistan Defense Minister Khawaja Asif on Saturday said Islamabad would retaliate by attacking Kolkata in case of any “future misadventure” by India. “If India attempts another false-flag operation, then, God willing, we will take it to Kolkata,” Asif told reporters in his hometown Sialkot. He also alleged that New Delhi was planning a “false-flag operation”, claiming that India could carry out an incident using its own operatives or Pakistani captives and blame it on Islamabad, although he did not present any evidence to support this claim. Earlier this week, Asif had described Pakistan’s response to any Indian attack as “swift, balanced and decisive”, reacting to Defense Minister Rajnath Singh’s warning that any future “adventure” by Pakistan would invite “unprecedented and decisive” action. Tension remains high between the two countries following the Pahalgam attack on April 22 last year, in which 26 civilians – mostly tourists – were killed by Pakistan-backed terrorists. This incident led to a brief but intense military confrontation between 7 and 10 May. Hostilities subsided after Islamabad asked for a ceasefire, which New Delhi accepted while also saying that Operation Sindoor – its military response targeting Pakistan-based terrorist groups – had only been halted. New Delhi also said it would not differentiate between terrorist groups and Pakistan’s military leadership.In August 2025, the Pakistan Army had issued a similar warning, saying that it would attack deep into India from the eastern front. Kolkata – one of the country’s largest cities and a former national capital – is the capital of the eastern state of West Bengal. Asif’s latest comments come after former Pakistani High Commissioner to India Abdul Basit suggested that if Islamabad’s nuclear weapons are under threat from the United States, it should target major Indian cities like Mumbai and Delhi. He argued that since the US was beyond Pakistan’s nuclear reach, India would become “the next best option”. Basit said, “If anyone casts an evil eye on us, we will attack Mumbai and New Delhi without any hesitation.”(With PTI inputs)
