Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Sunday reacted to statements made by the Indian military and political leadership, terming them a “failed attempt” to restore their “lost reputation”.
While he did not specify any particular statement that he was reacting to, his remarks follow recent aggressive comments from the Indian side, mentioning terrorism and warning of action. India has long accused Pakistan of cross-border terrorism, an allegation that Islamabad has repeatedly[1] refuted and termed baseless[2].
“The statements made by the Indian army and its political leadership are a failed attempt to restore its lost reputation,” Asif said on X.
He also referred to a four-day escalation between India and Pakistan in May, during which Islamabad says it downed at least six Indian jets.
Asif said India faced a “decisive defeat with a score of 6-0” in the escalation, and “if they try again [to go to fight], God willing, the score will be much better than the last time”.
“The way the public opinion in India turned against the government after the worst defeat in history, and the way [Indian Prime Minister Narendra] Modi and his group have lost their reputation, it is apparent from their statements that they [are feeling] the pressure,” Asif added.
“This time, God willing, India will get buried under the rubble of its own jets,” the minister asserted.
‘Cataclysmic devastation’
Asif’s remarks come a day after the military warned that any future conflict with India could lead to “cataclysmic devastation” and Pakistan would “resolutely respond, without any qualms or restraint”.
The statement[3] by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) came in the wake of provocative remarks by top Indian civil-military leadership and stressed that Pakistan would “not hold back” in case of a fresh round of hostilities.
“In the face of highly provocative statements of the Indian defence minister and its army and air chiefs, we caution that a future conflict might lead to cataclysmic devastation. In case a fresh round of hostilities is triggered, Pakistan shall not hold back. We shall resolutely respond, without any qualms or restraint,” the ISPR said.
Indian media outlet NDTV reported[4] on Friday that Indian Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi had warned Pakistan that it must stop state-sponsored terrorism if it wanted to retain its place on the map. According to the report, Gen Dwivedi said Indian forces would “not show any restraint this time”, potentially hinting at another military incursion.
The same day, Indian Air Force Chief Amar Preet Singh also claimed[5], without evidence, that his country “downed five Pakistani fighter jets of the F-16 and JF-17 class” during the intense fighting between the nuclear-armed neighbours in May.
Meanwhile, Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh delivered a speech earlier this week, with clips[6] posted on his X account, in which he said: “Our soldiers have both weapons and high morale. No challenge can stand before us. Whether it is terrorism or any other kind of problem, we have the capability to deal with and defeat them all.”
In response, the ISPR said in its statement that the military had noted with “grave concern” the “delusional, provocative and jingoistic statements coming from the highest levels of the Indian security establishment”.
It added that such “irresponsible statements” indicated a “renewed attempt at fabricating arbitrary pretexts for aggression”, warning that any such prospect might lead to “serious consequences for peace and stability” in South Asia.
The ISPR concluded its statement, saying: “Earlier this year, the Indian aggression against Pakistan brought two nuclear powers to the brink of a major war. However, India seems to have forgotten the wreckage of its fighter jets and the wrath of Pakistan’s long range vectors. Suffering from collective amnesia, India now seems to be aching for the next round of confrontation.”
May conflict
The May conflict, the worst between the old foes in decades, was sparked by an attack[7] on Hindu tourists in occupied Kashmir, which New Delhi, without evidence, said was backed by Pakistan. Pakistan has denied[8] involvement, with the foreign ministry having questioned the credibility of India’s account of the events, saying it was “replete with fabrications”.
Both sides used fighter jets, missiles[9], artillery and drones during the four-day conflict, killing dozens of people[10], before agreeing to a ceasefire[11]. In the immediate aftermath of the conflict, Pakistan said it took down six Indian fighter jets[12] during the conflict, including the French-made Rafale[13]. New Delhi acknowledged[14] “some losses” during the conflict but denied losing six jets.
In August, Pakistan added a new arm to its military, the Army Rocket Force Command[15], that was tasked with building a long-range conventional strike capability to give the army a sharper edge over arch-rival India.
The timing of the announcement was significant as it came almost three months after the four-day conflict. It was the Pakistan Air Force’s early successes[16] that tipped the balance in Pakistan’s favour, but operational lessons learned during the conflict necessitated the formation of the new fighting arm within the army.
The new command is responsible for operating conventional missiles — including ballistic, cruise, and possibly even hypersonic — designed to hit targets far beyond the front lines. The idea is to strike deep, hard, and without reaching for the nuclear trigger.
References
- ^ repeatedly (www.dawn.com)
- ^ baseless (www.dawn.com)
- ^ statement (www.dawn.com)
- ^ reported (www.dawn.com)
- ^ claimed (www.dawn.com)
- ^ clips (x.com)
- ^ attack (www.dawn.com)
- ^ denied (www.dawn.com)
- ^ missiles (www.dawn.com)
- ^ dozens of people (www.dawn.com)
- ^ ceasefire (www.dawn.com)
- ^ six Indian fighter jets (www.dawn.com)
- ^ French-made Rafale (www.dawn.com)
- ^ acknowledged (www.dawn.com)
- ^ Army Rocket Force Command (www.dawn.com)
- ^ early successes (www.dawn.com)