MT Desk: Voicing strong concern over highly incendiary statements by India`s defence minister and military leadership, Pakistan Army on Saturday warned that in the event of renewed hostilities, Pakistan "shall not hold back but will respond resolutely, without any qualms or restraint".Indian leaders have been issuing provocative statements since their military`s humiliating setback in the brief conflict with Pakistan in May, which saw the loss of several Indian warplanes, including prized Rafale jets, during the aerial engagements.
"We have noted with grave concern the delusional, provocative and jingoistic statements coming from the highest levels of the Indian security establishment," the military said in a statement released by the ISPR on Saturday. "These irresponsible statements indicate a renewed attempt at fabricating arbitrary pretexts for aggression – a prospect which might lead to serious consequences for peace and stability in South Asia," it added.
The ISPR statement came in the wake of provocative remarks by India`s top civil-military leadership. On Friday, Indian media quoted Indian army chief General UpendraDwivedi as warning Pakistan that it must stop "state-sponsored terrorism if it wanted to retain its place on the map" and added Indian forces would "not show any restraint this time".The same day, Indian Air Force chief Amar Preet Singh repeated an earlier claim that they had "downed five Pakistani fighter jets of the F-16 and JF-17 class" during the May conflict.
Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh delivered a speech earlier this week, with clips posted on his X account, in which he said: "Our soldiers have both weapons and high morale. No challenge can stand before us. Whether it is terrorism or any other kind of problem, we have the capability to deal with and defeat them all."
However, the ISPR warned the Indian leaders that a future conflict might lead to "cataclysmic devastation."
It further said that those seeking to establish a new normal must know that Pakistan has established a new normal of response, which will be swift, decisive and destructive. "In the face of unwarranted threats and reckless aggression, the people and the armed forces of Pakistan have the capability and resolve to take the fight to every nook and corner of the enemy`s territory.
"This time, we shall shatter the myth of geographic immunity, hitting the farthest reaches of the Indian territory. As for the talk of erasing Pakistan from the map, India must know that if the situation comes, the erasure will be mutual," the ISPR said.
For decades, India has benefitted from playing the victim card and painting Pakistan in a negative light, while stoking violence and perpetrating terrorism in South Asia and beyond, the ISPR stated.
This narrative has been sufficiently debunked and now the world recognises India as the true face of cross-border terrorism and the epicentre of regional instability, the statement further added.
"Earlier this year, the Indian aggression against Pakistan brought two nuclear powers to the brink of a major war. However, India seems to have forgotten the wreckage of its fighter jets and the wrath of Pakistan`s long-range vectors. Suffering from collective amnesia, India now seems to be aching for the next round of confrontation," the ISPR added.