Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif’s declaration that madrassa students are the “second line of defence” in the event of conflict with India has drawn criticism. His comments follow Indian retaliatory drone strikes and contradict Pakistani military claims about intercepted Indian drones.
BY PC Bureau
Friday, May 9, 2025 – Amid escalating tensions with India following retaliatory drone strikes, Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif ignited a firestorm of controversy in Parliament today. He declared that students from religious seminaries, or madrassas, would serve as the country’s “second line of defence” if needed.
His remarks came a day after India launched drone strikes on key Pakistani locations, including Lahore, Sialkot, and Islamabad, in response to Pakistan’s unprecedented drone swarm targeting Indian cities on the night of May 8th.
“As far as madrassas or madrassa students are concerned, there’s no doubt they are our second line of defence — the youngsters studying there. When the time comes, they will be used, 100 percent,” Asif told lawmakers on May 9th.
His statement coincided with reports that New Delhi has authorized its Chief of the Army Staff to call upon members of the Territorial Army, signaling heightened military preparedness in the wake of the recent cross-border drone activity.
#Pakistan’s idea of “national defence”? Turning madrasa children into cannon fodder.
Their Defence Minister proudly calls them the second line of defence. Let that sink in. pic.twitter.com/SqkegFXl94
— DrVinushaReddy (@vinushareddyb) May 9, 2025
ALSO READ: SC Slams ‘Bulldozer Justice’, Orders Action Against Official
India maintains its retaliation was triggered by Pakistani drone incursions aimed at 24 Indian cities, the majority of which were reportedly intercepted by India’s integrated air defence systems. The Indian military has also claimed to have neutralized multiple air defence installations within Pakistan in its response.
In his parliamentary address, Asif offered a contrasting explanation for Pakistan’s failure to intercept the Indian drones, contradicting earlier claims of successful interceptions by the Pakistani military. “The drone attack was mounted to detect our locations. It’s a technical thing that I can’t explain. We didn’t intercept the drones so that the location of our aerial defence units wouldn’t be leaked,” he stated.
This explanation sharply contrasts with the statement made earlier by Pakistan Army spokesperson Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, who claimed that 25 Indian drones had been shot down since Wednesday night. Chaudhry also confirmed drone strikes in Rawalpindi, Lahore, and near Karachi, which he stated resulted in one civilian death and one injury.
ALSO READ: India Declares War on Social Media, Forces X to Block 8,000 Users
Reports suggest India utilized Israeli-origin Harpy kamikaze drones in its precision strikes targeting Pakistan’s radar and air defence infrastructure. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Defence in New Delhi asserted that Pakistan’s initial drone offensive had been “neutralised” and that debris was being recovered from various Indian states.
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif’s increasingly provocative rhetoric since the flare-up began on May 7th has drawn significant attention. His latest comments regarding the potential deployment of madrassa students for national defence have sparked particular concern both domestically and internationally, raising questions about the nature of Pakistan’s defence strategy and the implications of involving religious students in military matters.
