In a highly inflammatory statement, former Pakistan High Commissioner to India Abdul Basit has said that attacking Indian cities like New Delhi and Mumbai should be Islamabad’s “default move” if the country is attacked by the US.Basit said in an interview to a local Pakistani channel, “The US will not attack Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal. Even if we assume that in a hypothetical situation the US attacks Pakistan, we will not be able to retaliate because the US does not come within our nuclear range. (Asking a TV anchor) What do you think will be our option then? India.” He told ABN News, “If anyone casts an evil eye on us, we will attack Mumbai and New Delhi in India without thinking. We will see whatever happens later.”The former envoy turned defense strategist further said, “At the moment, neither the US nor Israel is under our nuclear range. But the world should know that if we come under attack, we will in turn attack India wherever we wish.” Basit made this controversial comment while reacting to US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard’s recent statement before the Senate Intelligence Committee, in which she had said that Pakistan’s long-range ballistic missile program could pose a threat to the US homeland.Some media reports also quoted Basit as saying that Gabbard’s “anti-Pakistan” worldview was a known fact. He reportedly said, “Pakistan’s deterrence capability is India-specific. Tulsi Gabbard saw our missiles, but not India’s Agni-5 and Agni-6. They are intercontinental missiles.”Presenting the Annual Threat Assessment to 2026 before the House Intelligence Committee, Gabbard had said that Pakistan is among the countries that are “researching and developing a range of new advanced or conventional missile delivery systems with nuclear and conventional payloads that keep our homeland within range”.According to the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, Pakistan has six types of nuclear-capable ballistic missiles. Its overall arsenal consists primarily of short- to medium-range ballistic missiles, but it is making significant progress in strengthening its cruise missile capabilities. Its ground arsenal consists of 106 land-based missiles with a capacity of 5-40 kt. Pakistan’s roadmobile ballistic missiles include the short-range Abdali, Ghaznavi, Shaheen-1 and NASR as well as the medium-range Shaheen-2 and Ghauri. The Shaheen-3 and Ababil medium-range ballistic missiles (MRBMs) are currently under development.The longest range Shaheen-3 can hit targets up to 2,750 km. But Shaheen-3 is not an ICBM. For a ballistic missile to be called an ICBM, it must have a minimum range of more than 5,500 km. The distance between America and Pakistan is more than 11,200 km.Reacting sharply to Basit’s statement, BJP national spokesperson Tuhin Sinha said on Sunday, “Abdul Basit’s threat that Delhi and Mumbai will be bombed by Pakistan shows that Pakistan is still shaken by the attacks during Operation Sindoor.” He has lost his mental balance.”Shortly after Gabbard’s statement, Pakistan Foreign Ministry spokesman Tahir Andrabi said, “Pakistan categorically rejects the recent claim by a US official alleging a potential threat from Pakistan’s missile capabilities.” Pakistan’s strategic capabilities are “exclusively defensive” in nature, he said, and are aimed at “protecting national sovereignty and maintaining peace and stability in South Asia”.
