ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s military spokesman on Thursday warned that any Indian violation of the recently agreed ceasefire would be met with a “swift and assured response”, cautioning that serious escalation could lead to mutual destruction between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.
Tension between India and Pakistan escalated after the April 22 attack in the Pahalgam area of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). India swiftly blamed Pakistan without presenting any credible evidence.
Pakistan condemned the attack and strongly denied the Indian allegations as baseless. Pakistan also offered a neutral and transparent international investigation into the incident. However, New Delhi did not respond to Pakistan’s offer and continued with its aggressive posture.
On the night of May 6-7, India launched a series of air strikes on Pakistan, resulting in civilian casualties. Pakistan responded firmly and downed five Indian fighter jets and destroyed a brigade headquarters and several military posts. Both sides then exchanged missiles, which stretched over the week.
On May 10, when tensions between the two countries peaked, US President Donald Trump announced that a ceasefire had been reached between India and Pakistan. According to the government, 40 civilians — including 7 women and 15 children — lost their lives in the Indian aggression, and 121 others sustained injuries.
In an interview with British broadcaster Sky News, Pakistan’s military spokesman, Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (DG ISPR) Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry warned that by rooting for war, India was carving out a “recipe for mutual destruction,” adding that the world now recognised the extent of the nuclear threat.
Highlighting the gravity of nuclear risk, he noted that major global powers, including the United States, recognise the danger posed by any escalation.
“Any sane player like the USA understands this absurdity and what the Indians are trying to do here,” the DG ISPR told the publications.
Talking about India’s actions in Kashmir, the DG ISPR accused New Delhi of trying to “internalise the issue and harassing” Kashmiri people with a heavy troop presence.
“It is a problem that has to be resolved by the people of Kashmir as per the United Nations Security Council resolution,” he said.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump has expressed interest in mediating the long-standing Kashmir issue between Pakistan and India.
The DG ISPR continued: “Anyone who tries to violate our territory and integrity and sovereignty, our response will be brutal.”
DG ISPR warned that a “serious escalation between India and Pakistan would destroy both sides” under the concept of mutually assured destruction — a doctrine of military strategy and national security policy which posits that a full-scale use of nuclear weapons by an attacker on a nuclear-armed defender with second-strike capabilities would result in the complete annihilation of both the attacker and the defender.
“Pakistan sees its military response as a strategic success against a more powerful adversary and hopes it signals a shift in the regional balance,” he added.
In a press conference held last week after the ceasefire was brokered, DG ISPR had cautioned that a conflict between Islamabad and New Delhi “can lead to peril of more than 1.6 billion people.”
“In reality, there is no space for war between India and Pakistan,” he added.
