India on Monday slammed Pakistan over Field Marshal Asim Munir’s nuclear threat made from the soil of the United States. Reacting to media queries, the Ministry of External Affairs said that Munir’s remark shows irresponsibility inherent in such comments and the international community can draw its own conclusions from that. India also said that it won’t yield to any nuclear blackmail and will continue to take steps to safeguard its national security.
India’s Reaction
Responding to media queries, the MEA said, “Our attention has been drawn to remarks reportedly made by the Pakistani Chief of Army Staff while on a visit to the United States. Nuclear sabre-rattling is Pakistan’s stock-in-trade.”
The ministry further said, “The international community can draw its own conclusions on the irresponsibility inherent in such remarks, which also reinforce the well-held doubts about the integrity of nuclear command and control in a state where the military is hand-in-glove with terrorist groups.”
Slamming the use of American soil for issuing a threat to India, the Ministry of External Affairs said, “It is also regrettable that these remarks should have been made from the soil of a friendly third country.”
“India has already made it clear that it will not give in to nuclear blackmail. We will continue to take all steps necessary to safeguard our national security,” said the MEA.
Munir’s Statement
Pakistan Army Chief Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, who is on a visit to the United States, said that Islamabad will defend its water rights at all costs if India proceeds with dam construction on the Indus River. Further Munir repeated his anti-India rhetoric describing Kashmir as Pakistan’s “jugular vein” stating that it is not India’s internal matter but an unresolved international issue, Pakistan-based media outlet ARY News reported on Monday.
Munir also said that Pakistan is a nuclear state and if faces existential threat, it would take half of the world down with it. “We are a nuclear nation. If we think we are going down, we’ll take half the world down with us,” he said.
