‘Only God knows...’: Rajnath Singh slams Pakistan’s Khawaja Asif over his Kolkata strike threat, warns Islamabad against repeating ‘past mistakes’
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "‘Only God knows...’: Rajnath Singh slams Pakistan’s Khawaja Asif over his Kolkata strike threat, warns Islamabad against repeating ‘past mistakes’")
Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh Photograph: (ANI)
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh warned Pakistan of further fragmentation if it threatens Kolkata, invoking the 1971 defeat. Tensions remain high following the 2025 Pahalgam attack and subsequent military standoff.
India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday (April 7) hit back strongly at his Pakistani counterpart Khawaja Asif over remarks warning of a potential strike on Kolkata, calling the statement “provocative” and cautioning Islamabad against repeating “past mistakes”. Addressing the media, Singh said Pakistan should refrain from issuing such threats, invoking the country’s historical defeat during the Bangladesh Liberation War.
“Pakistan's Defence Minister should not have given such a provocative statement. Fifty-five years ago, they suffered the consequences when Pakistan was divided into two parts. If they try to cast an eye on Bengal, only God knows how many parts Pakistan will be divided into this time,” Singh said.
His remarks came after Asif, speaking in Sialkot, warned that Pakistan could target Kolkata if India carried out what he described as a “future misadventure”. “If India attempts another false-flag operation, then, God willing, we will take it to Kolkata,” Asif said, while also alleging, without offering evidence, that New Delhi might be planning such an operation to implicate Islamabad.
Pahalgam terror attack
Tensions between India and Pakistan have remained elevated since the April 22 Pahalgam attack last year, in which 26 people, mostly tourists, were killed by terrorists. The incident triggered a brief but intense military confrontation between May 7 and 10.
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Hostilities eventually eased after Pakistan sought a ceasefire, which India agreed to, even as New Delhi maintained that its military action under Operation Sindoor had only been paused, not concluded. India has since reiterated that it will not distinguish between terrorist groups and Pakistan’s military leadership in any future response, signalling a hardened stance on cross-border terrorism.
The war of words has escalated in recent days, with Asif earlier describing Pakistan’s response to any Indian action as “swift, calibrated and decisive”, in reaction to Singh’s warning that any “misadventure” would invite “unprecedented and decisive” retaliation.
Adding to the rhetoric, former Pakistani High Commissioner to India Abdul Basit suggested that Islamabad could target major Indian cities, including Mumbai and New Delhi, if its nuclear arsenal were threatened. “If someone casts an evil eye on us, we will strike Mumbai and New Delhi without hesitation,” Basit said.
