Pakistan defence minister Khawaja Asif (File photo)

Pakistan’s defence minister Khawaja Asif on Saturday said that Islamabad would retaliate with a strike on Kolkata in the event of any “future misadventure” by India. “If India attempts another false-flag operation, then, God willing, we will take it to Kolkata,” Asif told reporters in his hometown of Sialkot. He also alleged that New Delhi may be planning a “false-flag operation,” claiming India could stage an incident using its own operatives or Pakistani detainees and blame it on Islamabad, though he offered no evidence to support the assertion. Earlier this week, Asif had described Pakistan’s response to any Indian attack as “swift, calibrated and decisive,” reacting to defence minister Rajnath Singh’s warning that any future “misadventure” by Pakistan would invite “unprecedented and decisive” action. Tensions between the two countries remain high following the April 22 Pahalgam attack last year, in which 26 civilians—mostly tourists—were killed by Pakistan-backed terrorists. The incident triggered a brief but intense military confrontation between May 7 and 10. Hostilities subsided after Islamabad sought a ceasefire, which New Delhi accepted while maintaining that Operation Sindoor—its military response targeting Pakistan-based terror groups—had only been paused. New Delhi also asserted it would not distinguish between terrorist groups and Pakistan’s military leadership.In August 2025, Pakistan’s military issued a similar warning, stating it would strike deep inside India from the eastern front. Kolkata—one of the country’s largest cities and a former national capital – is the capital of West Bengal, an eastern state. Asif’s latest remarks came days after former Pakistani high commissioner to India Abdul Basit suggested Islamabad should target major Indian cities such as Mumbai and Delhi if its nuclear arsenal were threatened by the United States. He argued that since the US is beyond Pakistan’s nuclear reach, India would become the “next best option.” “If someone casts an evil eye on us, we will strike Mumbai and New Delhi without hesitation,” Basit added.(With PTI inputs)