Former Pakistan High Commissioner to India Abdul Basit’s remarks about Pakistan-India relations have provoked widespread outrage. In a recent televised discussion, Basit said that if the United States were to attack Pakistan in a hypothetical scenario, Islamabad could retaliate by striking Indian cities.
The comments came amid heightened regional tension following India’s Operation Sindoor against terror bases in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, itself launched after the Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir that killed 26 civilians.
On the program, Basit said, “If America attacks Pakistan, we have to attack India. Our missiles may not reach America, but we will attack Mumbai and New Delhi in India without a second thought. We won’t leave it, we’ll see what happens later.” He framed the remark in response to US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard’s comments about Pakistan’s long-range missiles, saying Pakistan’s deterrence is India-specific and noting Pakistan lacks intercontinental-range systems like India’s Agni-5 and Agni-6.
Basit added that while ties with the US improved under former President Donald Trump, Pakistan should not assume a long-term strategic partnership with Washington, and contrasted US-India strategic ties with Pakistan’s relationship with China. He then articulated a worst-case hypothetical: if the US—or others—sought to destroy Pakistan’s nuclear program, and Pakistan were attacked, its options might include striking India’s major cities. He reiterated that this was a hypothetical he did not want to see realized.
There has been no official response from India to Basit’s comments. Basit served as Pakistan’s envoy to India from 2014 to 2017, a period of strained bilateral relations, and his past diplomatic role has amplified attention to his statements. The remarks arrive against a backdrop of broader regional conflicts, including tensions with Afghanistan and the war in Iran.
