Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif lately made contentious remarks, asserting that India was “by no means actually united” besides underneath the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, a declare that contradicts established historic info. Talking in an interview with Pakistan’s Samaa TV, Asif additionally warned that “probabilities of warfare with India are actual.”
His feedback comply with India’s stern warning to Islamabad in opposition to supporting state-sponsored terrorism, cautioning Pakistan in regards to the penalties it may face relating to its geographical integrity.
Asif acknowledged, “Historical past reveals that India was by no means one united nation, besides briefly underneath Aurangzeb. Pakistan was created within the title of Allah. At residence, we argue and compete. However in a combat with India, we come collectively.”
Opposite to his assertions, India has remained a secure and unified democracy for over seventy years since gaining independence from British colonial rule. Pakistan, in distinction, has skilled a number of army coups and inner divisions.
India’s historical past of political unity predates Aurangzeb. The Maurya Empire (322–185 BCE) unified a lot of the subcontinent and was one of many largest empires within the area’s historical past. Subsequent rulers corresponding to Samudragupta of the Gupta dynasty and Harshavardhana of the Pushyabhuti dynasty additionally achieved important political consolidation.
Whereas Aurangzeb’s reign noticed the Mughal Empire attain its biggest territorial extent, it was additionally characterised by fixed warfare and rebellions, not like the comparatively secure and affluent rule of Emperor Akbar.
Asif acknowledged the danger of battle, saying, “I don’t need escalation, however the dangers are actual, and I’m not denying that. If it involves warfare, God prepared, we’ll obtain a greater consequence than earlier than.”
These statements come amid escalating tensions between the 2 nuclear-armed neighbours. Final week, Indian Military Chief Basic Upendra Dwivedi issued a stern warning to Pakistan, declaring, “Both cease supporting terrorism or get able to lose its geographical presence.”
He added, “India is absolutely ready this time. We is not going to present the restraint we exhibited throughout Operation Sindoor 1.0. This time, the motion might be such that Pakistan should assume whether or not it desires to exist geographically.”
Khawaja Asif has a historical past of creating statements which have attracted world criticism. Not too long ago, throughout Pakistan’s devastating floods, he suggested residents of low-lying areas to “retailer” floodwaters in containers as an alternative of letting them drain away, and controversially described the flooding as a “blessing.”
Throughout Operation Sindoor, Asif additional broken Pakistan’s credibility by propagating unfounded claims. In a CNN interview, he alleged that Pakistan had shot down Indian fighter jets, attributing his assertion to social media experiences. When pressed for proof, CNN anchor Becky Anderson interrupted, saying, “I’m sorry, we didn’t ask you right here to speak about social media content material.”