Former Pakistan High Commissioner to India, Abdul Basit, is in the headlines after his recent remarks regarding India. In a recent interview on a Pakistani TV channel, Basit said that if the US or Israel ever plan to target Pakistan or its nuclear facilities.

According to a report by CNN-News18, Basit reportedly said that if such attacks come, India will be a default target and that Pakistan will keep on attacking and attacking, killing a lot of people, just like a 26/11-style attack, just to flush out the perpetrators if they ever think of hiding in India.

Why is the statement given what it implicates?

Abdul Basit is the former high commissioner of Pakistan to India who served in India from 2014 to 2017. Basit framed his comments around a deteriorating geopolitical situation in the region. He suggested that if the situation in Iran were to worsen and Israel were to position itself closer to Pakistan, it could create a complex security challenge. He further added that if the United States were to view Pakistan’s nuclear programme negatively or attempt to dismantle its nuclear capabilities, it could escalate tensions significantly.

While he emphasised that such a scenario remains highly unlikely, Basit went on to outline its potential implications. He stated that Pakistan possesses the capability to defend itself, but was speaking purely in terms of a hypothetical extreme situation. His remarks, however, drew attention for their direct reference to India in the context of retaliation. "Tomorrow, hypothetically speaking, the USA attacks our nuclear facilities, and we cannot retaliate due to the lack of our missile range. What will be the most appropriate response for us? India, even if we can't attack the USA due to lack of range, we can bomb New Delhi or Mumbai without a second thought",Abdul Basit said on the TV Show as reported by CNN News 18.

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While he emphasised that such a scenario remains highly unlikely, Basit went on to outline its potential implications. He stated that Pakistan possesses the capability to defend itself, but clarified that he was speaking purely in terms of a hypothetical extreme situation. His remarks, however, drew attention for their direct reference to India in the context of retaliation.

Why India and how it changes the geopolitical landscape

Elaborating further, Basit argued that if Pakistan were to be attacked by the United States and was unable to respond directly due to geographical or operational constraints, India could become the default target. He suggested that if Pakistan could not reach US bases in the Gulf region or strike Israel, it would be left with limited options.

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According to Basit, in such a scenario, Pakistan would not hesitate to respond. He indicated that cities like Mumbai and New Delhi could be potential targets, asserting that the country would act decisively if it perceived a serious threat to its security. Although Basit repeatedly described the situation as hypothetical and unlikely, his remarks have raised concerns, given the already volatile situation in West Asia.

The ongoing tensions involving Iran, the United States, and Israel have heightened global security anxieties, and statements linking India to a potential conflict scenario have added another layer of sensitivity.