![\"'We](\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/thumb\/msid-130033045,imgsize-820887,width-400,height-225,resizemode-4\/khawaja-asif.jpg\" "\\"Pakistan")
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nPakistan\u2019s defence minister Khawaja Asif<\/a> on Saturday said that Islamabad would retaliate with a strike on Kolkata in the event of any \u201cfuture misadventure\u201d by India. \u201cIf India attempts another false-flag operation, then, God willing, we will take it to Kolkata,\u201d Asif told reporters in his hometown of Sialkot. He also alleged that New Delhi may be planning a \u201cfalse-flag operation,\u201d 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\u2019s response to any Indian attack as \u201cswift, calibrated and decisive,\u201d reacting to defence minister Rajnath Singh\u2019s warning<\/a> that any future \u201cmisadventure\u201d by Pakistan would invite \u201cunprecedented and decisive\u201d action. Tensions between the two countries remain high following the April 22 Pahalgam attack last year, in which 26 civilians\u2014mostly tourists\u2014were 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\u2014its military response targeting Pakistan-based terror groups\u2014had only been paused. New Delhi also asserted it would not distinguish between terrorist groups and Pakistan\u2019s military leadership.In August 2025, Pakistan\u2019s military issued a similar warning, stating it would strike deep inside India from the eastern front. Kolkata\u2014one of the country\u2019s largest cities and a former national capital – is the capital of West Bengal, an eastern state. Asif\u2019s latest remarks came days after former Pakistani high commissioner to India Abdul Basit suggested<\/a> 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\u2019s nuclear reach, India would become the \u201cnext best option.\u201d \u201cIf someone casts an evil eye on us, we will strike Mumbai and New Delhi without hesitation,\u201d Basit added.(With PTI inputs)<\/span><\/div>\n