Pakistan defence minister Khawaja Asif on Monday reportedly said India must engage on key issues like Kashmir, water, and terrorism with Pakistan. The comments come in the wake of a ceasefire between the two nations, after India launched “Operation Sindoor” on May 7, targeting nine terrorist camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
The defence minister said these issues are longstanding and have spanned throughout history.
‘Find solutions to these issues’
While talking to a Pakistani news channel, Asif said, “This is an opportunity for both the nations to find solutions to these issues.”
When tension between India and Pakistan was soaring on international border and across the LoC on May 10, Asif said that the nuclear option is not on the table, but if a situation arises, the “watchers” would also be affected.
Asif exposed the misinformation campaign
Asif had exposed the misinformation campaign being run in Pakistan after Operation Sindoor destroyed nine terror sites.
Appearing on a CNN interview, Khwaja Asif bizzarely attributed his claims of Pakistan shooting down five Indian jets to evidence on Social media.
‘It’s all over the social media’
When asked for evidence of the claim that five Indian fighter jets were shot down, he responded, “It’s all over the social media, on Indian social media, not on our social media. The debris of these jets fell into Kashmir. And it’s all over Indian media today and they have admitted.”
The Anchor replied, “I’m sorry we didn’t ask you here to talk about social media content.”
Asif could not reveal the plane used by Pakistani forces
When asked further about the details regarding how the fighter jets were shot down and what equipment was used, Khawaja Asif could not reveal the plane used by Pakistani forces.
‘Chinese jets are being manufactured in Pak’
Asked about the evidence for the claim and whether Pakistan used Chinese equipment to shoot down Indian jets, he said, “No, Chinese equipment. We have Chinese planes, JF-17 and JF-10. They are Chinese planes, but they are being manufactured, assembled in Pakistan now. We have very close to Islamabad, we have a facility over there where these planes are manufactured and if India can buy planes from France and use them, we can also buy planes from China or Russia or United States, UK and use them.”
‘Pakistan has been funding and backing terror groups‘
Earlier in April, Khawaja Asif made a huge admission by stating that Pakistan has been funding and backing terror groups in a viral video clip. In a video clip that has now gone viral, Pakistan’s defence minister was in conversation with Sky News’s Yalda Hakim, when she asks him, “But you do admit, you do admit, sir, that Pakistan has had a long history of backing and supporting and training and funding these terrorist organisations?”
In response, Asif said, “We have been doing this dirty work for the United States for about 3 decades… and the west, including Britain…That was a mistake, and we suffered for that, and that is why you are saying this to me. If we had not joined the war against the Soviet Union and later on the war after 9/11, Pakistan’s track record was unimpeachable.” Asif’s statement lays bare the fact that Pakistan, for many years, has been harbouring these terror groups.
