Islamabad – The Pakistani military has issued a strong and unambiguous warning to India, cautioning that a new round of hostilities could lead to “cataclysmic devastation” and the “mutual erasure” of both nuclear-armed nations.
Pakistani statement was released in response to recent “delusional, provocative and jingoistic statements” coming from the highest levels of the Indian security establishment, including the defence minister and the Army and Air Chiefs.
The remarks followed Indian Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi’s warning to Pakistan, stating it must end “state-sponsored terrorism” or face the risk of losing its territory.
Warning Against Fabricating Pretexts
The statement began by noting “grave concern” over the Indian security establishment’s pronouncements, which Pakistan views as “irresponsible statements [that] indicate a renewed attempt at fabricating arbitrary pretexts for aggression.”
Pakistan asserts that this aggression “might lead to serious consequences for peace and stability in South Asia.” The military establishment accused India of long benefiting from a “victim card” narrative while simultaneously “stoking violence and perpetrating terrorism in South Asia and beyond.”
“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 read, reversing the traditional victim-aggressor narrative long employed by India.
Collective Amnesia and the New Normal
Referencing the border clashes earlier this year, the Pakistani military reminded India of the proximity to war the two nations experienced. The statement warned that India “seems to have forgotten the wreckage of its fighter jets and the wrath of Pakistan’s long-range vectors,” adding that India now “seems to be aching for the next round of confrontation,” suffering from “collective amnesia.”
The core message of the statement centred on deterrence and a shift in Pakistan’s strategic posture. The military cautioned that in the face of “highly provocative statements,” Pakistan shall not hold back” in a future conflict.
“We shall resolutely respond, without any qualms or restraint,” the statement warned, signalling a decisive shift away from past patterns of measured response.
The document explicitly stated 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.”
Shattering the Myth of Geographic Immunity
One of the most strategically significant lines in the entire statement was the explicit threat to India’s sense of security over distance. Pakistan declared its capability and resolve to “take the fight to every nook and corner of the enemy’s territory.”
It unequivocally stated: “This time we shall shatter the myth of geographic immunity, hitting the farthest reaches of the Indian territory.”
This is widely viewed as a direct message concerning Pakistan’s long-range missile capabilities, suggesting that any future conflict would not be geographically constrained to traditional border areas or Kashmir, but could target major Indian metropolitan and strategic centres, regardless of their distance from the border.
The statement concluded with an ominous warning against talk of erasing Pakistan from the map, declaring that if the situation reaches that point, “the erasure will be mutual.”
The world now watches as tensions between the two nuclear rivals reach a critical flashpoint.
