Pakistan defence minister Khawaja Asif says will 'strike' any structure India builds on Indus river

Pakistan’s defence minister Khawaja Asif has threatened that his country will target any structure built by India on the Indus River if it goes against the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), which New Delhi recently suspended after the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack .

Speaking on a programme of Pakistan News channel Geo News on Friday, Asif said, "Certainly, if they (India) attempt to build any kind of structure, we will strike it."

He said that any construction on the Indus River would be seen as "Indian aggression" towards Pakistan.

"Aggression is not just about firing cannons or bullets; it has many faces. One of those faces is [blocking or diverting water], which could lead to deaths due to hunger and thirst," he added.

Asif also said, "If they make any architectural attempt, then Pakistan will destroy that structure.

"But for now, we are heading to forums available to us, starting from the IWT [Indus Waters Treaty]. We will pursue this matter."

This comes days after Asif said that the chances of conflict with India were increasing with the passage of time despite efforts by different countries to defuse the tensions between the two neighbours.

"Chances (of conflict) are increasing with the passage of time; they are not decreasing. Though many countries have been trying to avert the situation," he said.

Earlier, on April 24, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the people behind the Pahalgam terror attack and those supporting them will be punished.

In a meeting on April 29 with senior defence officials, Modi said that the armed forces have "complete operational freedom" to choose how, when, and where to respond to the attack, news agency PTI reported quoting government sources.