Defense Minister Khawaja Asif on Monday stated that his previous comments suggested an “impending Indian military intrusion” after last week’s deadly attack on tourists in Indian -occupied Kashmir, were misinterpreted.

In a talk with Reuters earlier in the day at his Islamabad office, Asif said: “We have strengthened our forces because it is something that is imminent now. So in that situation some strategic decisions have to be made so that these decisions have been made.”

He explained that with India’s rhetoric shaking up, the Pakistani military had informed the government of the possibility of an Indian attack, though he did not elaborate specific intelligence or assessments that led to this view.

Asif emphasized that Pakistan remained on high alarm, but would only consider using his nuclear arsenal if there was a “direct threat to our existence.”

In a separate interview on a private news channel, he said: “We should be mentally prepared that there is a war that threatens on the horizon. The opportunity is there, a very vibrant opportunity for us to have war in the next day or two or three or four.”

However, his remarks were questioned during another interview on another news channel, Asif said his comments had been interpreted. “I think it’s been interpreted on another channel. I’ve already talked to them and I haven’t said anything like it,” he managed. “They (the channel) asked me what are the chances of war, so I said the next two to three days were crucial.”

He explained that his statement should not be taken as a categorical prediction of war that begins within a few days, but rather a reflection that “the coming days would be decisive.” He added that the channel in question was in the process of making the necessary corrections.

While confirming that “danger is threatening”, Asif maintained that he had not suggested that the conflict was inevitable. He also noted that other countries in the region were actively working to step down tension and avert any contentious development.

“Pakistan is 100 percent ready to meet any fighting situation if the country’s sovereignty is threatened or war on it,” he said. When he repeated his previous point, Asif concluded that although the possibility of conflict in the coming days existed, efforts were underway to prevent such a result.