Pakistan Calls National Command Authority Meeting, Later Backtracks After US Calls

On Saturday morning (10 May), several Pakistani media outlets reported that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had convened a meeting of the national command authority (NCA), the body responsible for making operational decisions on Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal.

However, within a few hours, the Pakistani leadership seemed to backtrack on its earlier position.

Under apparent diplomatic pressure, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif denied the Pakistani media reports, stating unequivocally that no meeting of the National Command Authority had been called.

The sudden change in stance came after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio held phone conversations with Pakistan Army Chief General Asim Munir and Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar. 

Rubio also reached out to India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.

In an effort to further distance the government from any nuclear brinkmanship, Asif told Geo News that the nuclear option is not under consideration, but added a cautionary note.

“I am telling the world that this is not going to be confined to the region only; it could be a much wider [...] destruction. Our options are being reduced considering the situation India is creating,” he said.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also held telephonic conversations with key political leaders within the country to brief them on the ongoing standoff with India.

The nuclear bogey has often been used by Pakistan as a strategic leverage in times of crisis with India. Most recently, Sharif referred to Pakistan's nuclear capabilities during an address to the National Assembly.

Tensions between the two countries have escalated sharply after the Pahalgama terror attack and India's Operation Sindoor in which Indian military destroyed terror infrastructure in the neighbouring country and Pak-Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK).

Also Read: Operation Sindoor: Top LeT And JeM Terrorists Killed In Indian Strikes On Pakistan And PoJK Camps, Says Report