The Blubber

Pakistan’s defence minister warned on Monday that a military strike by neighbouring India appeared imminent, following last week’s deadly militant assault on tourists in Kashmir, escalating tensions between the two nuclear-armed rivals.

The attack, which left 26 people dead, sparked outrage in Hindu-majority India and led to growing demands for action against Muslim-majority Pakistan. India continues to accuse Pakistan of supporting militants operating in Kashmir, a disputed territory over which the two countries have already fought two wars.

“We have reinforced our forces because it is something which is imminent now. So in that situation, some strategic decisions have to be taken, so those decisions have been taken,” Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif told Reuters in an interview from his office in Islamabad.

Asif said India’s aggressive rhetoric was intensifying and that Pakistan’s military had warned the government of a likely Indian incursion. He did not elaborate on the specifics behind his assessment that an attack was imminent.

India’s foreign and defence ministries did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Following the Kashmir attack, Indian authorities claimed that two of the suspected militants were Pakistani nationals. Islamabad has denied any involvement and called for an impartial investigation.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has vowed that those behind the assault would be pursued and punished.

Pakistan remains on high alert but would only consider using nuclear weapons if faced with “a direct threat to our existence,” Asif said. The veteran politician, a prominent member of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party, which has traditionally sought dialogue with India, reiterated Islamabad’s preference for restraint.

Asif also said Pakistan had reached out to friendly nations, including Gulf states and China, and had briefed Britain, the United States, and others on the escalating situation.

“Some of our friends in the Arabian Gulf have talked to both sides,” Asif noted, though he did not name specific countries.

On Monday, China urged restraint and welcomed any steps aimed at de-escalating tensions. Asif said the United States, so far, was “staying away” from direct involvement.

While U.S. President Donald Trump recently suggested that India and Pakistan should resolve their issues independently, the State Department later confirmed that Washington had been in contact with both nations and encouraged them to seek a “responsible solution.”

Historically, Washington has played a mediating role during heightened periods of tension between the two nations, who gained independence from Britain in 1947 when the subcontinent was partitioned.

In the wake of the Kashmir attack, both Delhi and Islamabad have introduced retaliatory measures: India suspended the Indus Waters Treaty—an important water-sharing accord—and Pakistan closed its airspace to Indian commercial flights.