Pakistan’s U-turn: No meeting of body overseeing nuclear arsenal, says Defence Minister

Pakistan Defence Minister said that there has been no meeting of the top military and civil body that oversees the nuclear arsenal. Khawaja Asif said the option of nuclear arms should not even be discussed at the moment. This comes after a report stated that Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif convened a meeting of the National Command Authority that oversees the country’s nuclear arsenal.

"This thing that you have spoken about (nuclear option) is present, but let's not talk about it - we should treat it as a very distant possibility, we shouldn't even discuss it in the immediate context. Before we get to that point, I think temperatures will come down. No meeting has happened of the National Command Authority, nor is any such meeting scheduled,” Asif told ARY TV.

Pakistan's Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar, meanwhile, said if India stops here then "we will consider stopping here".

An earlier report by Reuters stated that Shehbaz Sharif convened a meeting of the National Command Authority after India's early morning strikes on three Pakistani air bases: Nur Khan in Rawalpindi, Murid in Chakwal, and Rafiqui in Jhang. The strikes were a response to recent cross-border aggression by Pakistan, which launched hundreds of drones targeting key Indian cities and military installations over the past two days.

The Nur Khan airbase, located just 10 km from Islamabad, is one of Pakistan's most sensitive military sites. Formerly known as Chaklala, it hosts VIP transport planes, multiple air squadrons, and the PAF College Chaklala.

The Indian Army reported that Pakistan's escalation with drone strikes and other munitions continued along India's western borders.