On April 4, 2026, Khawaja Asif (Pakistan's Defence Minister) issued a stern warning to India, threatening a strike in Kolkata if India engages in any false flag operations. Asif claimed that there are indications of a planned operation that could involve falsely portraying detained Pakistanis as terrorists. He did not provide evidence for this assertion. His remarks were made during a press conference in Sialkot, located approximately 130 kilometers from Lahore. This warning follows a statement from Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who indicated that any aggressive actions from Pakistan would provoke a strong response. The backdrop to these tensions includes a conflict in April 2025, which escalated following an attack in Pahalgam, resulting in a four-day confrontation between the two countries. Asif emphasized that Pakistan's response to any attack would be 'swift, calibrated, and decisive.'