NEW DELHI (Reuters) -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 United States.
Indian media reports, citing sources, quoted Pakistan’s 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”.
An excerpt of his speech shared by Pakistani security officials did not include the “nuclear nation” remarks.
“Pakistan is a responsible nuclear weapon state with an elaborate command and control structure under full civilian control,” a statement from Pakistan’s foreign office said.
“It has always exercised discipline and restraint, while dealing with the issues of such importance.”
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.
India and Pakistan both possess nuclear weapons and fought their deadliest battle in decades in May, sparked by an attack on tourists the previous month in Indian Kashmir, which killed 26 civilians.
Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson for 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 Pakistani 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 U.S. 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 U.S. under the Trump administration.
(Reporting by Shivam Patel in New Delhi and Asif Shahzad in Islamabad; Editing by Hugh Lawson and Sharon Singleton)
