A Pakistani politician from Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) party has said he would leave for England if war breaks out with India. The statement was made during an interview as tensions between the two countries have increased after the killing of 26 Indian tourists in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam.Sher Afzal Khan Marwat, a Member of Parliament and a Supreme Court advocate in Pakistan, was asked during an interview if he would personally take up arms in the event of a war with India.

"If war breaks out, I will go to England," Marwat replied.

When the journalist followed up, asking whether India should de-escalate the situation, Marwat said, "Is Modi my aunt's son that he will step back just because I say so?"

In India, Pradeep Bhandari, spokesperson of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), said many ministers and army generals in Pakistan were preparing to leave the country out of fear of a strong Indian response.

"Pakistan's ministers have accepted that India under Prime Minister Modi's leadership isn't going to stop, and they are so afraid that their ministers say they will go to England once India gives them a befitting response," Bhandari said.He also added, "There is a consensus in Pakistan that it cannot match India's defence capabilities. The people of Pakistan and the entire world know that under the leadership of PM Modi, India is going to deliver a befitting reply to Pakistan."Following the Pahalgam terror attack, reports surfaced last week speculating about the location of Pakistan Army Chief General Syed Asim Munir. Some local sources claimed he had either left the country or gone into hiding. Hashtags such as #MunirOut began trending on X (formerly Twitter), with users discussing unverified claims that Munir and his family had fled Pakistan.

While these claims remain unconfirmed, the conversation around Munir’s absence has drawn attention on both sides of the border. In response to the speculation, the Pakistan Prime Minister’s Office released a group photo showing Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and General Munir at a military event in Abbottabad on April 26. The caption of the image highlighted the presence of Munir at the graduation ceremony of the 151st Long Course at PMA Kakul, suggesting an attempt to put rumours to rest.

The speculation about General Munir emerged during a time of heightened tensions between India and Pakistan. The killing of 26 people, including two foreign nationals, in Pahalgam on April 22 has led to a series of strong diplomatic and political moves. India suspended the Indus Waters Treaty, a step Islamabad called "illegal". Intelligence inputs have linked the attackers to cross-border terror networks.Just two days before the Pahalgam incident, General Munir described Kashmir as Pakistan’s "jugular vein" during a speech at the Pakistan Military Academy. At the same event, he stated, “Hindus and Muslims are distinct in every aspects.”

He further reinforced the two-nation theory while addressing an Overseas Pakistanis Convention in Islamabad. “You have to narrate Pakistan’s story to your children so that they don’t forget it when our forefathers thought we were different from Hindus in every possible aspect of life,” Munir said.

He added, “Our religion is different, our customs are different, our traditions are different, our thoughts are different, our ambitions are different, that’s where the foundation of the two-nation theory was laid. We are two nations, we are not one nation.”

According to Indian intelligence assessments, the rhetoric used in public speeches by leaders like General Munir may have contributed to an environment that emboldened extremist elements. Reports from the site of the attack suggest that the victims were targeted on religious grounds, with some reportedly asked to recite Islamic prayers before being shot.