Asif warns of nuclear risk

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has issued a stark warning that rising tensions with India could push the region dangerously close to nuclear conflict, as Islamabad reels from a deadly cross-border assault it has labelled a "blatant act of war."

In an interview with a private TV channel on Wednesday, Asif cautioned that the risk of escalation was "very real," following India's airstrikes on Pakistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir earlier in the morning.

"This region has faced nuclear threats before - and we could be headed toward another strategic standoff," the minister said. "India is going through a major internal crisis."