Pakistan on Monday rejected strong comments from the Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), who accused Pakistan of nuclear extortion, and called the claims misleading and baseless.
In response to media inquiries regarding the Indian MEA’s statement of comments attributed to Field Marshal Asim Munir, the foreign office said that Islamabad saw the Indian accusations as “yet another demonstration of their chronic tendency to distort facts and twisted statements out of context.”
“The Indian tale of an alleged ‘nuclear extortion’ is a misleading and self -service construction. Pakistan remains firm against the use or threat of use of force,” the statement states.
It criticized India’s “Saber Rattling and War Mongering every time confronted,” as it said “invited unfounded accusations affected about rationality.”
Pakistan confirmed his status as a “responsible nuclear weapons state with a detailed command and control structure under full civil control”, which emphasized it “has always exercised discipline and restraint” in questions about such gravity.
FO highlighted Pakistan’s “sustained and credible terrorist stringer efforts”, which have received international recognition and rejected the Indian MEA allegations as “false insinuations … without evidence.”
The statement also criticized India for invoking other countries to the pressure of Pakistan and called the move “meaningless” and a “meaningless attempt to unnecessarily involve other countries” as it said “reflects India’s lack of diplomatic confidence.”
Pakistan promised to “continue to act as a responsible member of the Nations Committee,” but warned that “any act of Indian aggression or violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity will be met with an immediate and matching response.” “Onus of any subsequent escalation will rest square with the Indian leadership,” the statement concluded.
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India Monday accused Pakistan of “Saber Rattling” and “irresponsibility” after media reports of alleged comments on nuclear threats in South Asia made by Coas Munir while visiting the United States.
Indian media reports, quotes sources, quoted Field Marshal Asim Munir as saying, “We are a nuclear nation. If we think we’re going down we’ll take half the world down with us”. An excerpt of his speech shared by Pakistani security officials did not include the “nuclear nation” remarks.
Randhir Jaiswal, spokesman for India’s Foreign Ministry, said: “Nuclear Sabre-Rattling is Pakistan’s share-in-trade,” adds: “The international community can draw his own conclusions about the irresponsible associated with such remarks.” He said it was also regrettable that the reported remarks should have been made in a friendly third country.
Read more: Field Marshal Asim Munir meets US Defense Officers
In a version of the speech shared by Pakistani security officials, Field Marshal Munir was quoted as saying: “The (Indian) aggression has brought the region to the brink of a dangerous escalating war, where a bilateral conflict due to any wrong calculation will be a serious mistake.”
He was visiting the United States to attend a farewell event for General Michael Kurilla, the 15th commander of the US Central Command. India previously filed a private diplomatic protest with Washington when President Donald Trump hosted him for a lunch in the White House in June.
Analysts have said that India’s disagreement with Washington about the ceasefire on May 10 with Pakistan and Trump’s renewed commitment with Islamabad has contributed to a recent setback in the bond between India and the United States under the Trump administration.
