Pakistan’s conventional capabilities are adequate to deter India, without the self-imposed “nuclear blackmail” that New Delhi suffers, the Foreign Office said on Thursday.
The nuclear-armed nation’s response came after Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal should be brought under the surveillance of the UN’s nuclear agency.
“These irresponsible remarks reveal his profound insecurity and frustration regarding Pakistan’s effective defence and deterrence against Indian aggression through conventional means,” Foreign Office spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan said in a statement.
The nuclear-armed rivals ended their worst military conflict in nearly three decades with a ceasefire announcement on Saturday. The conflict sparked global concerns that it could spiral into a full-blown war.
The fighting began last Wednesday when India launched strikes against what it described as “terrorist infrastructure” in Pakistan.
Pakistan immediately responded with heavy artillery fire and a four-day standoff ensued between the South Asian rivals.
This is a developing story and is being updated with more details.
