ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has warned India that any fresh act of military adventurism will be met with a powerful and unrestrained response.
In a statement, the army’s media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) expressed deep concern over inflammatory and irresponsible remarks by highest officials of the Indian security establishment.
The ISPR said such statements appear to be an attempt to manufacture pretexts for aggression.
The statement comes a day after Indian Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi warned Pakistan to end what he called “state-sponsored terrorism,” saying the country risked losing its place in “world history and geography” if it continued such policies.
Speaking at an event in Rajasthan, General Dwivedi said India would not exercise the same restraint it did during “Operation Sindoor 1.0” if provoked again.
“If Pakistan wants to secure its place in world history and geography, it must stop state-backed terror. We will respond more strongly than we did during Operation Sindoor 1.0 if pushed again,” he said.
“For decades, India has fuelled violence and perpetrated cross-border terrorism in South Asia and beyond,” the ISPR statement said, adding that such rhetoric could have serious consequences for peace and stability in the region.
The ISPR said the world now recognises India as the source of cross-border terrorism and regional instability, and recalled that Indian aggression in May this year brought two nuclear-armed states to the brink of a major war.
The statement accused India of forgetting the destruction of its own combat aircraft and the reach of Pakistan’s long-range strike capability, saying New Delhi now appears to be preparing for a new round of confrontation.
Pakistan, the ISPR added, has already set a precedent of delivering an immediate, decisive and destructive retaliatory response when required, and is capable of striking across the border if hostility occurs.
“If any adventure is attempted, a devastating response will be given,” the statement warned, stressing that Pakistan’s resolve is unshakable and its defensive capability robust.
The ISPR reiterated that India’s irresponsible rhetoric is a fresh attempt to concoct excuses for aggression and again warned that any such adventurism will be punished with a severe response.
Earlier, Indian Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh claimed that India had “downed five Pakistani fighter jets of the F-16 and JF-17 class” during the recent hostilities between the two nuclear-armed neighbours in May.
Addressing a press conference ahead of the Indian Air Force’s annual day, Singh said this was the first time New Delhi had publicly identified the class of aircraft allegedly shot down.
“As far as air defence is concerned, we have evidence of one long-range strike… along with that, five high-tech fighters between F-16 and JF-17 class, our system tells us,” he told reporters.
The F-16 is a US-made aircraft, while the JF-17 Thunder is jointly developed by Pakistan and China.
Islamabad has maintained that it downed six Indian fighter jets during the May conflict, including a French-made Rafale, while India has acknowledged some losses but denied losing six aircraft.