RAWALPINDI (THE THURSDAY TIMES) — Pakistan’s military has issued a blunt warning after what it described as provocative and jingoistic statements emanating from the highest levels of the Indian security establishment, saying such rhetoric risks serious consequences for peace and stability across South Asia. In a terse but forceful statement the military accused India of manufacturing pretexts for aggression while reminding the world of the violence and cross-border activity it alleges New Delhi has fostered for decades.
The Inter-Services Public Relations office said that past incidents had already brought two nuclear powers to the brink of a wider war earlier this year, and that India appeared to have “collective amnesia” about the losses it suffered, including destroyed fighter jets and the impact of Pakistan’s long-range capabilities. The statement warned that further escalatory rhetoric, including remarks by India’s defence minister and senior military leaders, could precipitate “cataclysmic devastation.”
ISPR made clear that Pakistan would not hesitate to respond decisively and without restraint in the event of renewed hostilities, and it said a new posture of response had been established, one that it characterised as swift, decisive and destructive. The military also dismissed what it called India’s long record of invoking a victim narrative while exploiting regional tensions, asserting that international opinion now increasingly recognises India as a driver of cross-border instability.
Analysts say the tone of the statement is meant both to deter further escalation and to signal to domestic and international audiences that Pakistan has prepared options across a wide geographic range, not limited to the border. The warning includes an explicit claim that any attempt to “erase Pakistan from the map” would produce mutual destruction, a phrase likely to deepen diplomatic alarm in capitals watching the situation closely.
The statement closes with a stark admonition: those seeking to normalise new forms of aggression should note that Pakistan has set its own “new normal” for response, and that its people and armed forces are prepared to take the fight to “every nook and corner” of the enemy’s territory if necessary, a vow that underlines the fragility of the current peace.
