Pakistan Issues India Ultimatum Following Airstrikes
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
Pakistan has issued a warning to India, demanding an end to its military operations or risk further escalation following Indian airstrikes under 'Operation Sindoor' in response to the killing of tourists in Kashmir.
Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif said Pakistan is "willing to wrap up these things" if India halts its actions, but cautioned, "If India attacks, we'll respond."
The ultimatum was delivered alongside a formal protest lodged with India's Charge-d'Affaires in Islamabad, while Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is set to address the nation after an emergency meeting of top military and civilian officials.
Newsweek reached out to the Pakistani government for comment.
Why It Matters
Tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbors ratcheted up after gunmen massacred 26 people, mostly Indian tourists, in Indian-controlled Kashmir last month.
India responded by striking nine targets inside Pakistan, saying they were used to plan the attack. Pakistan has denied this, stating Indian strikes hit civilian areas and violated its sovereignty. With each side accusing the other of aggression and mobilizing their armed forces, the region faces its most volatile moment in years.
Pakistan's Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif addresses the Summit of the Future, in the United Nations General Assembly, Monday, Sept. 23, 2024.
Pakistan's Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif addresses the Summit of the Future, in the United Nations General Assembly, Monday, Sept. 23, 2024.
Richard Drew/AP Photo
What to Know
In a televised interview with Bloomberg, Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif stressed that Pakistan does not seek to escalate the crisis but will defend itself if necessary. "We have been saying all along the last fortnight that we will never initiate anything hostile toward India. But if India attacks, we'll respond," Asif said. He called India's strikes a violation of sovereignty but added, "If India backs down, we'll definitely wrap up these things." His remarks suggest Pakistan is leaving space for a diplomatic off-ramp—provided India ends its offensive.
India Targets Terror Camps
India launched airstrikes on Wednesday targeting alleged terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Jammu and Kashmir. Strikes reportedly hit locations in Bahawalpur, Muridke, and Muzaffarabad. India claims the targets were involved in planning the April 22 Pahalgam bombing that killed more that 25 civilians.
Pakistan Responds
In response, Pakistani security officials said the country launched retaliatory strikes, though they did not provide further details. In a statement, Pakistan's Prime Minister said that "Pakistan has every right to give a robust response to this act of war imposed by India, and a strong response is indeed being given."
The U.S. State Department told Newsweek that it was monitoring an "evolving situation" and that there was no further assessment to offer at this time. The Pentagon told Newsweek it did not wish to comment further on the reports.
Pakistani paramilitary stand guard outside a gate of a complex close to the site of a suspected Indian missile attack, in Muridke, a town in Pakistan's Punjab province, Wednesday, May 7, 2025.
Pakistani paramilitary stand guard outside a gate of a complex close to the site of a suspected Indian missile attack, in Muridke, a town in Pakistan's Punjab province, Wednesday, May 7, 2025.
K.M. Chaudary/AP Photo
What People Are Saying
Khawaja Muhammad Asif, Pakistan's Defence Minister warned: "If India backs down, we'll definitely wrap up these things... These are not hostile acts—we are just defending our territory."
India's Defense Ministry, in a statement: "Our actions have been focused, measured and non-escalatory in nature. No Pakistan military facilities have been targeted. India has demonstrated considerable restraint in selection of targets and method of execution."
U.S. President Donald Trump, said in the Oval Office: "They have been fighting for many, many decades, and centuries if you really think about it. I just hope it ends very quickly."
What Happens Next
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is expected to deliver a national address outlining Pakistan's response strategy. The situation remains volatile, with any further military action likely to trigger a wider crisis.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Newsweek
an hour ago
- Newsweek
FBI Working With India to Disrupt Chinese Fentanyl Network—Kash Patel
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Kash Patel told podcaster Joe Rogan during a Friday episode that the agency is working with the Indian government to dismantle global fentanyl networks, which he said originate in China. Newsweek has reached out to the FBI's press office, the Indian Government's Ministry of External Affairs, and the Chinese Embassy in Washington for comment via email on Saturday. Why It Matters President Donald Trump has made combating the opioid crisis, particularly the influx of illicitfentanyl, a central focus of his administration's policies. Earlier this year, to address the sources of fentanyl trafficking, Trump imposed tariffs on imports from China, Mexico, and Canada. There are some legitimate medical uses for fentanyl. The opioid crisis has far-reaching impacts across the country. In 2024, the United States witnessed a significant decrease in opioid-related overdose deaths, dropping from 110,037 in 2023 to 80,391 in 2024, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Rogan, host of The Joe Rogan Experience podcast, is one of the most-listened-to media figures, drawing an audience of roughly 11 million listeners. What To Know Patel told Rogan that when he joined the bureau, he launched a "massive enterprise" to target companies in China that manufacture "fentanyl precursors." He said that while China may not produce the drug in its final form, it supplies the key ingredients used to make fentanyl, calling the country the "root of the problem." The U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, which provides recommendations to Congress, stated in an August 2021 finding that "China remains the primary country of origin for illicit fentanyl and fentanyl-related substances trafficked into the United States." Patel said during the interview with Rogan that the country has been shipping the precursors "to places like India—and I'm also doing operations in India—and they're having the Mexican cartels now make this fentanyl down in Mexico." In March, the Chinese government published a white paper laying out its purported efforts to crack down on fentanyl trade and hit back at U.S. criticism as Washington imposed tariffs over the issue. "I literally just got off the phone with the Indian government, I said: 'I need your help. This stuff's coming into your country and then they're moving it from your country because India's not consuming fentanyl...I need you and your help,'" the FBI director told Rogan. He explained the FBI is "working with the heads of their [the Indian] government, law enforcement authorities to say, 'We're going to find these companies that buy it and we're going to shut them down. We're going to sanction them; we're going to arrest them where we can. We're going to indict them in America if we can. We're going to indict them in India if we can.'" He reiterated that "this is a global problem." Patel said the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) isn't partaking in the trade for profitability reasons, but rather, "in my opinion, the CCP have used it as a directed approach because we are their their long-term game is how do I, in my opinion, kneecap the United States of America, our largest adversary?" suggesting that the drug allows them to "take out generations of young men and women." Tensions between Washington and Beijing have been high over a slew of issues, including tariff policies and national security issues. In May, federal authorities arrested 16 individuals and seized over 400 kilograms of the drug in the largest fentanyl bust in Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) history. FBI Director Kash Patel is seen in Washington on May 8. FBI Director Kash Patel is seen in Washington on May 8. AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana What People Are Saying U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told CNBC in mid-May: "I have a personal stake in this. There are two very close friends [who] lost children to this terrible scourge. Hundreds of thousands of Americans die every year. And I think that we saw here in Geneva the Chinese are now serious about assisting the U.S. in stopping the flow of precursor drugs." A spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry said in March: "Facts speak louder than words. The U.S. is spreading all kinds of false information on the fentanyl issue, smearing and scapegoating China, and hiking tariffs on Chinese imports over fentanyl." President Donald Trump wrote in an April 24 Truth Social post: "...By the way, Fentanyl continues to pour into our Country from China, through Mexico and Canada, killing hundreds of thousands of our people, and it better stop, NOW!" What Happens Next? It is unclear what the partnership looks like, but according to Patel it is ongoing.
Newsweek
2 hours ago
- Newsweek
Elon Musk's X Posts About Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein Disappear
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Billionaire Elon Musk has seemingly removed posts on X, formerly Twitter, that he wrote in which he claimed that President Donald Trump was named in the much-discussed files of Jeffrey Epstein, a move that significantly escalated a feud between the two former allies. Newsweek reached out to X and the White House for comment by email outside of normal business hours on Saturday. Why It Matters Musk gave over $200 million to Trump's presidential campaign and called himself his "first buddy." Musk and Trump initiated a war of words this week after the tech mogul started attacking the House-approved spending bill, which the president has nicknamed the "One Big Beautiful Bill," that will help him launch a wider effort to implement some of his broader economic and social reforms. Musk, who spent four months rooting around the federal government with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to cut "waste, fraud, and abuse," criticized the bill as a "disgusting abomination" and that it was full of "pork," a reference to abundant discretionary spending in a bill, known as "pork barrel spending." Trump hit back on his own social media platform Truth Social by saying he had asked Musk to leave government because he was "wearing thin," to which Musk responded on X by writing that "Donald Trump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public," followed later by a post saying, "Mark this post for the future. The truth will come out." While it is known that Trump and Epstein were acquainted and photographed together in the early 2000s, Trump has long denied any involvement in Epstein's criminal conduct. This combination of pictures created on June 5 shows President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House, in Washington, D.C., on May 5 and Elon Musk in the Oval Office of the... This combination of pictures created on June 5 shows President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House, in Washington, D.C., on May 5 and Elon Musk in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., on May 30. More Alex Wroblewski, Allison Robbert/AFP via Getty Images What To Know Musk had posted multiple times on Thursday about Trump being included in the Epstein files, an accusation that was previously leveled against the president and cleared in court along with the likes of former President Bill Clinton. However, as of Saturday morning, those original posts have disappeared from Musk's timeline, although it remains unclear if he deleted them himself or if X removed the posts due to some potential community rules violation. However, two additional reposts about Trump and Epstein remain up on Musk's timeline as of noon on Saturday: One by user @bjornpagen that showed two men locked in a firm grip, one labeled "Elon does ketamine" and the other "Trump on Epstein's list," to which Musk replied with a laughing emoji and a "bullseye" emoji; and another post by user @AGHamilton29 that discussed the "well established" connection between Trump and Epstein, to which Musk replied with an eyebrow-raised emoji. Reposts by Elon Musk on X that are related to his accusation that President Donald Trump is named in the Epstein files. Reposts by Elon Musk on X that are related to his accusation that President Donald Trump is named in the Epstein files. Elon Musk X acocunt Trump on Friday responded to Musk's accusation by posting on Truth Social a message from Epstein's former lawyer David Schoen from X, which claimed his client "had no information to hurt President Trump." "I was hired to lead Jeffrey Epstein's defense as his criminal lawyer 9 days before he died. He sought my advice for months before that. I can say authoritatively, unequivocally, and definitively that he had no information to hurt President Trump. I specifically asked him!" Schoen, who briefly represented Epstein shortly before the financier's death in 2019, wrote. Thousands of pages of records that named people with ties to Epstein, who died while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges in 2019, have been released over the years. However, there is no evidence to suggest Trump is mentioned in any unreleased files related to Epstein. And while the president is mentioned in some of the previously released court documents on Epstein, he has not been accused of any wrongdoing. During his 2024 presidential campaign, Trump had suggested he would release files related to Epstein, with a first batch of those files released in February by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi. Those files offered no major revelations about the sex trafficking case that has proven so popular among conspiracy theorists. However, FBI Director Kash Patel told Fox News chief political anchor Bret Baier that the agency is "diligently working" on a review of all materials before releasing them to the public. "It takes time to go through years of investigations, years of political maneuvering, and years of coverup to get the American people what they deserve, and that's what I'm gonna give them, on everything," Patel said. What Happened to Epstein? Epstein took his own life at the age of 66 in a jail cell at New York City's Metropolitan Correctional Center in August 2019, before he could stand trial in Manhattan on sex-trafficking charges where he was accused of preying on underage girls as young as 14. Authorities determined he hanged himself. He always denied any wrongdoing. At the time, Epstein was already a convicted sex offender after being found guilty by a Florida state court in 2008 of one count of soliciting prostitution and one count of soliciting prostitution from a minor. What People Are Saying President Donald Trump on Friday wrote on Truth Social: "I don't mind Elon turning against me, but he should have done so months ago. This is one of the Greatest Bills ever presented to Congress. It's a Record Cut in Expenses, $1.6 Trillion Dollars, and the Biggest Tax Cut ever given. If this Bill doesn't pass, there will be a 68% Tax Increase, and things far worse than that. I didn't create this mess, I'm just here to FIX IT. This puts our Country on a Path of Greatness. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!" Far-right political activist Laura Loomer wrote on X on Saturday: "[JD Vance] was on [Theo Von] when [Elon Musk] went nuclear on President Trump. He was asked during the interview what he thought about Elon accusing President Trump of being in the Epstein files. Talk about awkward. Donald Trump is not in the Epstein Files. Do you really think Elon would have allowed his own small child to be around President Trump and travel with him if President Trump was in the Epstein files? Let's all think logically here. President Trump was great to Elon and he was great to Elon's children. President Trump is an amazing man and deep down Elon knows that too." Elon Musk wrote on X in reply to another post by Loomer on Thursday: "Oh and some food for thought as they ponder this question: Trump has 3.5 years left as President, but I will be around for 40+ years ..." What Happens Next? The aftermath of the very public fight between the two former allies continues to tease further escalations, with Trump threatening to review Musk's government contracts and warning of further consequences if Musk starts to fund Democrats in elections.
Newsweek
3 hours ago
- Newsweek
Donald Trump Warns of 'Serious Consequences' if Elon Musk Backs Democrats
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. President Donald Trump on Saturday made clear in an interview with NBC News that Elon Musk will face 'very serious consequences' if tech CEO Elon Musk starts to fund Democrats in the wake of the fallout between the two former allies. "If he does, he'll have to pay the consequences for that," Trump told NBC News in a phone interview, but did not specify what actions he could take against Musk. "He'll have to pay very serious consequences if he does that." When asked if he has any desire to repair the relationship between the pair, Trump simply said "No," adding that he "would assume" that their relationship is over after the very public dispute. Musk heavily criticized Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill" as a "pork"-filled "abomination." Trump hit back, saying that Musk had been "wearing thin" due to the demands of his work with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Trump added that Musk had been "disrespectful to the office of the President" and that he was "too busy doing other things" with no intention of speaking with Musk. "I think it's a very bad thing, because he's very disrespectful. You could not disrespect the office of the President," Trump said. Musk, as part of the war of words that erupted on Thursday, asked his followers on X if they thought that America needed a new, third party to rival the Democrats and Republicans, with over 80 percent of respondents saying "Yes." This is a developing story and more information will be added as it becomes available.
