NEW DELHI: India on Monday accused its neighbour Pakistan of “sabre rattling” and “irresponsibility” after media reports on remarks about nuclear threats in South Asia made by Pakistan’s army chief while on a visit to the US.
Indian media reports, citing sources, quoted Field Marshal Asim Munir as saying: “We are a nuclear nation. If we think we are going down, we’ll take half the world down with us”.
Pakistan’s military and foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Munir’s comments. An excerpt of his speech shared by Pakistani security officials did not include the “nuclear nation” remarks.
Munir reportedly made the remarks at a black-tie dinner hosted by a Pakistani-origin businessman in Florida on Saturday, where he spoke to a crowd of more than 100 people. Reuters could not independently verify the remarks.
Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson of India’s foreign ministry, said: “Nuclear sabre-rattling is Pakistan’s stock-in-trade,” adding: “The international community can draw its own conclusions on the irresponsibility inherent in such remarks.”
He said it was also regrettable that the reported remarks should have been made while in a friendly third country.
In a version of the speech shared by security officials, Munir said: “The (Indian) aggression has brought the region to the brink of a dangerously escalating war, where a bilateral conflict due to any miscalculation will be a grave mistake.”
Munir was on a visit to the US to attend a farewell event for General Michael Kurilla, the 15th commander of the United States Central Command.
India previously lodged a private diplomatic protest with Washington when President Donald Trump hosted Munir for a lunch at the White House in June.
Analysts have said that India’s disagreement with Washington over the May 10 ceasefire with Pakistan, and Trump’s renewed engagement with Islamabad, have contributed to a recent setback in ties between India and the US under the Trump administration.