Pakistan will retaliate if India attacks, says Imran

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday said his country will have no other option to retaliate if India wages war against it in the wake of the February 14 suicide bombing in Jammu and Kashmir that killed 40 CRPF troopers.

"If you (Indian government) think you will attack us and we will not think of retaliating, we will retaliate. We will have no other option other than retaliating. We all know starting a war is easy ... Where it will lead us, only God knows," Khan said in a nationwide broadcast.

Khan said the Indian government blamed Pakistan for the Pulwama attack without any evidence and insisted that the issue can only be resolved through dialogue.

"What would Pakistan benefit from it? Why would Pakistan do such a thing when it has been moving towards peace. It is in our interest that nobody from our soil spreads violence. I want to tell the Indian government that we will take action if evidence is found against anyone from Pakistan," he said.

Khan's response came after New Delhi held Islamabad responsible for the attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district that was claimed by the Pakistani-based Jaish-e-Mohammed.

--IANS

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