New Delhi:
Attacking Indian cities such as New Delhi and Mumbai should be Pakistan’s “default move” if the country comes under attack from the US, a former Pakistani diplomat has said during a TV show. Abdul Basit’s provocative and irresponsible remarks were made in response to a question on US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard’s statements flagging Pakistan’s long-range ballistic missile programme.
Basit said Gabbard’s “anti-Pakistan” worldview always comes to the fore. “She is Indian-origin after all. Pakistan’s deterrence is India-specific. Tulsi Gabbard saw our missiles, but not India’s Agni 5 and Agni 6. They are intercontinental missiles. We don’t have that kind of range. I pray this increases. We should at least be able to target Israel,” he said during an interaction on Pakistani channel ABN news.
Basit, who served as high commissioner of Pakistan to India, said it was expected that the US would not mention India while flagging Pakistan’s missile programme. “India is their strategic partner. We get carried away and think Pakistan has strong ties (with the US). It is true that after (US President Donald) Trump came, some things have improved, but we must remember that the US will never be our strategic partner in the long term,” he said. “India and the US are strategic partners, like we are with China. You take whatever benefit you can from President Trump, but don’t think you have become a strategic partner. Don’t assume that not mentioning Agni 5 and Agni 6 was a mistake. They don’t see India the way they see Pakistan,” he said.
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