In a hard-hitting interview, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Wednesday warned that if tensions escalate further, there was a real danger of nuclear war. To a question, he said Pakistan has faced such threats before, and the region could once again be on the brink of a strategic standoff. “India is going through a major internal crisis,” Asif noted, adding that New Delhi’s aggression poses a serious threat to regional peace and security. He stressed that the risk of nuclear conflict is real and cannot be ignored. The minister also said a meeting of the National Security Committee (NSC) could be called at any time, and that the national security process now appears to be in motion.