ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Tuesday strongly condemned recent remarks by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi as “hate-filled and violent,” urging the international community to take serious note of India’s escalating rhetoric, undermining regional stability and the prospects for lasting peace.
PM Modi, while delivering a speech in Gujarat on Monday, said, “The people of Pakistan must come forward to rid their country of terrorism. Their youth will have to come forward. Live a life of peace, eat your bread or [choose my] bullet.”
Reacting to Modi’s remarks, Pakistan’s Foreign Office spokesperson expressed regret over the “continued erosion of maturity and decorum in Indian statecraft”.
“The statement by Prime Minister Modi reflects a reckless and provocative mindset,” said the spokesperson, adding that Pakistan views these remarks as a deliberate attempt to stoke regional tensions.
The spokesperson asserted that Pakistan will defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity against any threat. “Pakistan is fully capable of countering any aggression,” the spokesperson maintained.
Modi in his address in Gujrat issued direct threats to the people of Pakistan.
Urging the global community to take notice, the spokesperson said India’s incendiary rhetoric poses a threat to regional peace and stability.
Modi’s speech was “delivered in Gujarat with the theatrical flourish of a campaign rally rather than the sobriety expected of the leader of a nuclear-armed state,” the Foreign Office said in its statement.
“The hate-driven invocation of violence in his remarks is deeply disturbing, not only for its content but for the dangerous precedent it sets in a region already burdened by volatility,” the FO added.
“These remarks violate the principles of the United Nations Charter,” the FO noted further. “Member states are obligated to resolve disputes peacefully and to refrain from the threat or use of force.”
Moreover, the spokesperson added that Modi’s comments are an attempt to distract from what it described as ongoing human rights abuses and demographic changes in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).
The spokesperson reiterated Pakistan’s longstanding commitment to peace and international cooperation. “Pakistan remains a leading partner in global peacekeeping under the United Nations and continues its active role in counter-terrorism efforts,” the spokesperson said.
Calling on India to reflect on the growing extremism within its own borders, the spokesperson concluded, “Peace is only possible through mutual respect and adherence to international law.”
The developments follow a recent military confrontation between India and Pakistan over New Delhi’s allegations against Islamabad, without presenting any evidence, about a deadly attack in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam area.
On the night of May 6-7, New Delhi launched a series of air strikes in Pakistan, resulting in civilian casualties.
Pakistan firmly responded and downed five Indian jets. After intercepting drones sent by India and tit-for-tat strikes on each other’s airbases, it took US President Donald Trump’s intervention on May 10 for both sides to finally drop their guns as a ceasefire was reached.
