Pakistan's defense minister said Monday that a military incursion by neighboring India was only a matter of time, following a deadly militant attack on tourists in Kashmir last week, as tensions between the two nuclear powers have risen.
The militant attack killed 26 people, sparking anger in Hindu-majority India and prompting calls for action against Muslim-majority Pakistan. India accuses Pakistan of supporting militant groups in Kashmir, a region claimed by both countries and over which they have fought twice.
"We have strengthened our forces because it is something that is inevitable now. In such a situation, some strategic decisions have to be taken, so these decisions have been taken," Pakistan's Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif told Reuters in an interview at his office in Islamabad.
Asif said India's rhetoric was becoming more harsh and that the Pakistani military had briefed the government about a possible Indian attack. He did not elaborate on why he believes a military incursion by India is imminent.
After the attack in Kashmir, India identified two suspected militants as Pakistanis. Islamabad denies any role in the attack and has called for a neutral investigation.
Asif said Pakistan was on high alert and would only use its arsenal of nuclear weapons if "there is a direct threat to our survival."