New Delhi has issued a strong rebuttal to recent statements made by Pakistan’s Army Chief, General Asim Munir, during his visit to the United States. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Monday condemned Munir’s nuclear threats towards India, describing them as “irresponsible” and “unfortunate,” especially when made from the territory of a friendly third country.
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, sharing the official statement on social media, asserted that India will “never bow to nuclear blackmail” and will take “all necessary measures” to safeguard national security. The statement also pointed out that such remarks reinforce global concerns over Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal being under the control of a military establishment accused of working in tandem with terrorist groups.
Munir, currently on his second trip to the US in two months, made the controversial comments while attending a dinner hosted by Pakistani-American businessman Adnan Asad in Tampa, Florida. “We are a nuclear-armed nation. If we are pushed towards destruction, we will take half the world with us,” Munir was quoted as saying — a rare instance of such a direct nuclear threat being issued from US soil.
The Pakistan Army Chief also reignited tensions over the Indus Waters Treaty, suspended by India in April following a terror attack on tourists in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir. He warned that Pakistan would destroy Indian dams with missiles if New Delhi proceeded with certain water projects, claiming the Indus was “not India’s ancestral property.”
This war of words comes amid a changing diplomatic backdrop — Pakistan recently signed an oil deal with the US, while India faces a 50% tariff imposed by President Donald Trump over Russian crude imports. Pakistan itself has been hit with a 19% US tariff but has seen warmer ties with Washington in recent months.
Observers note that Munir’s remarks, combining nuclear threats and water dispute rhetoric, mark an escalation in Pakistan’s aggressive posturing — one that India has made clear it will counter firmly.
