The Foreign Office (FO) on Monday strongly criticised India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) for “distorting” and “twisting” remarks made by Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir during his recent visit to the United States.
Field Marshal Munir, who concluded his second high-profile US trip in less than two months, attended the US Central Command’s change of command ceremony in Tampa, Florida, and later addressed a black-tie dinner hosted by Pakistan’s honorary consul.
The FO said in a statement that comments made by the army chief at the event had been misrepresented by Indian media and the MEA.
Earlier in the day, the Indian MEA accused Pakistan of “nuclear sabre-rattling” and questioned its nuclear command and control. It also criticised the remarks for allegedly being made “from the soil of a friendly third country.”
Field Marshal Munir attends CENTCOM change of command ceremony in US
Rejecting the statement as “immature” and “misleading,” the FO said Pakistan remained opposed to the use or threat of force and maintained a responsible nuclear posture under full civilian control. It accused India of warmongering and issuing “unfounded allegations bereft of rationality.”
The FO also dismissed Indian insinuations linking Pakistan to terrorism, saying the country’s counterterrorism record was internationally acknowledged and its security forces remained a “bulwark against terrorism.”
It warned that any Indian aggression or violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty would be met with an “immediate and matching response,” placing the onus for any escalation squarely on Indian leadership.
The statement comes against a backdrop of heightened tensions following the brief but intense May military escalation between the two nuclear-armed neighbours, which ended after US intervention.
Relations between India and Washington have also cooled in recent weeks amid trade disputes and new US tariffs on Indian goods.
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