Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif stated in a TV interview on Saturday (May 10) that no meeting has yet been held with the National Command Authority, which oversees the country’s nuclear arsenal, following India’s recent military strike.
According to Reuters, Pakistan’s military earlier claimed that the Prime Minister had called for an emergency meeting of the authority. However, Pakistan’s Information Minister declined to comment on the matter.
In the interview, Asif said,
“You brought up the (nuclear) issue—yes, it exists, but we will not discuss it now. It’s a distant matter. Let’s not make it a topic of discussion at this moment.”
Amid rising tensions, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio held phone conversations with Pakistan’s Army Chief General Asim Munir and India’s Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar, urging both sides to remain in direct contact and de-escalate tensions.
Following the call, Jaishankar wrote on social media platform X (formerly Twitter):
“India’s position has always been measured and responsible, and it will remain so.”
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar told a local television station:
“If India stops here, we will also consider stopping here.”
The ongoing conflict began on May 7, when India claimed to have launched an airstrike on terrorist infrastructure inside Pakistan, calling it “Operation Sindoor.”
In response, Pakistan launched a military operation dubbed “Operation Bunyanun Marsus.”
This has turned into the most severe military confrontation between the two nuclear-armed neighbors since the 1999 Kargil War, with multiple casualties reported on both sides.
Amid fears of further escalation, the United States and the G7 have urged both India and Pakistan to de-escalate and avoid full-scale conflict.
