Abdul Basit: If America strikes us, we should attack Indian cities like Delhi and Mumbai: Ex-Pak envoy | India News
In a highly provocative speech, Abdul BasitPakistan’s former high commissioner to India, said that attacking Indian cities such as New Delhi and Mumbai should be Islamabad’s “default move” if the country is attacked by the United States.“America will not attack Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal. Even if we believe that in a hypothetical scenario America attacks Pakistan, we will not be able to strike back because America does not fall within our nuclear range. (asks a TV anchor) Then what do you think our alternative will be? India,” Basit asserted in an interview with a local Pakistani channel. He told ABN News, “If anyone gives us a bad look, we will attack Mumbai and New Delhi in India without thinking twice. We will see what happens later.”The former ambassador-turned-defense strategist added, “Right now, neither America nor Israel is under our nuclear range. But the world should know that if we are attacked, we will in turn attack India wherever we want.” Basit made the controversial comments in response to US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard’s recent statement before the Senate Intelligence Committee in which she said Pakistan’s long-range ballistic missile program could pose a threat to the US homeland.Some media reports quoted Basit as saying that Gabbard’s “anti-Pakistan” worldview is a known fact. “Pakistan’s deterrence is India-specific. Tulsi Gabbard saw our missiles, but not India’s Agni-5 and Agni-6. These are ICBMs,” he said.Presenting the 2026 Annual Threat Assessment to the House Intelligence Committee, Gabbard said Pakistan is “researching and developing an array of novel advanced or conventional missile delivery systems with nuclear and conventional payloads that keep our homeland within range”.According to the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, Pakistan has six operational types of nuclear-capable ballistic missiles. Its overall arsenal consists primarily of short- to medium-range ballistic missiles, but it is making significant progress in strengthening its cruise missile capabilities. Its land arsenal consists of 106 land-based missiles with a yield of 5-40 kt. Pakistan’s roadmobile ballistic missiles include the short-range Abdali, Ghaznavi, Shaheen-1 and NASR, as well as the medium-range Shaheen-2 and Ghauri. Shaheen-3 and Ababil medium-range ballistic missiles (MRBM) are currently under development.The longest range Shaheen-3 can hit targets up to 2,750 km. But Shaheen-3 is not an ICBM. For a ballistic missile to be called an ICBM, it must have a minimum range of more than 5,500 km. The distance between USA and Pakistan is more than 11,200 km.Reacting strongly to Basit’s statement, BJP national spokesperson Tuhin Sinha said on Sunday, “Abdul Basit’s threat that Delhi and Mumbai will be bombed from Pakistan shows that even today, Pakistan is reeling from strikes during Operation Sindoor. It made him lose his mental balance.”Shortly after Gabbard’s statement, Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesman Tahir Andrabi said, “Pakistan categorically rejects recent statements by a US official alleging a potential threat from Pakistan’s missile capabilities.” He said Pakistan’s strategic capabilities were “exclusively defensive” in nature, and “aimed at safeguarding national sovereignty and maintaining peace and stability in South Asia”.
