Defense Minister Khawaja Asif has issued a sharp warning that rising tensions with India could push the region dangerously close to nuclear conflict as Islamabad wheels from a deadly cross -border attack, it has felt an “obvious war.”

In an interview with a private TV channel on Wednesday, Asif warned that the risk of escalation was “very real” after India’s air strikes on Pakistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir earlier in the morning.

“This region has been exposed to nuclear threats before – and we could go against another strategic resistance,” the minister said. “India is undergoing a major internal crisis.”