India will be ‘relegated to history’ if it attempts misadventure against Pakistan

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Monday said that India would be “relegated to history” and its geography “changed” if it attempted any future misadventure against Pakistan. In an interview on the Geo News programme ‘Capital Talk’, Asif said, “As a nation, India thinks that its esteem has been damaged.” The defence minister was referring to last year’s confrontation with India, beginning with the April 22 Pahalgam attack and the subsequent military conflict — which resulted in a resounding victory for Pakistan — until the ceasefire on May 10. Reflecting on last year’s standoff with India, Asif said that Pakistan’s armed forces had given India a “devastating” response. “If India attempts any misadventure against Pakistan, it would be relegated to history and its geography would be changed,” the defence minister asserted. The defence minister also criticised the recent remarks made by Indian Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi, in which he said that Pakistan had “to decide whether they want to be part of geography or history or not”. “By making those kinds of remarks, the Indian army chief is trying to regain his lost respect,” Asif maintained, adding that during Marka-i-Haq, India was significantly battered. Asif also commented on the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) secretary general’s remarks, calling for keeping the window for dialogue between Islamabad and New Delhi open. “There are also various critical voices against the government in India,” he said, adding that the stance of the Indian army and civil society differs. He said that Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka, which India had considered its “extension,” did not enjoy the same relationship with it as before. “India is now facing embarrassment on the foreign front,” he added. Meanwhile, he said that Pakistan had achieved “a highly reputable status” in the region. While responding to a question about a possible nexus between India and Israel against Pakistan, the defence minister said that there could be a res