Pakistan will launch military attack if dam is built on Indus River: Defense Minister warns

If India takes steps to build a dam to stop the flow of Indus River or divert its water, Pakistan will launch a military attack in response, the country's Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif has warned.

In an interview on Pakistan's popular political talk show 'Naya Pakistan' on Friday, he said,

"Aggression is not just done with guns or cannons, stopping the flow of water is also a kind of aggression. This can lead to the death of lakhs of people. If India builds a dam on Indus River, we will destroy it."

He also said that it is not the time to assume that military tension has subsided. The situation is still quite worrying, and Pakistan is monitoring it very closely.

The recent tension began on April 22, with a horrific terrorist attack in the Baisaran grasslands of Pahalgaon district of India's Jammu and Kashmir. Gunmen from the Kashmir-based Lashkar-e-Taiba affiliate, The Resistance Front, shot dead 26 tourists.

India blamed Pakistan for the attack. Immediately after this, New Delhi took several tough steps, including suspending the Indus Water Sharing Treaty, downgrading diplomatic relations, and canceling visas. In response, Islamabad also took tough decisions, including canceling visas for Indians and suspending trade.

Amid the ongoing tension between the two countries, the Pakistani Defense Minister's comments have renewed fears of conflict in South Asia.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has already held a meeting with top military officials and, according to reliable sources, has also given the green light to the military to take action against Pakistan.

Analysts also believe that the threat of war has not yet been completely eliminated. In the words of Khawaja Asif,

"We have not yet overcome the threat of war. It is only a matter of time."