KARACHI: Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued a strong rebuke to recent comments by former US national security adviser John Bolton, who has questioned the safety of Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal while echoing Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s remarks on the same issue.
In a statement released on Thursday in response to media queries, the Foreign Office Spokesperson declared: “Pakistan remains fully confident in the strength of its comprehensive nuclear security regime and the robustness of its command and control structures.”
The statement came after Bolton, in an interview with Indian news agency ANI, voiced longstanding US ‘concerns’ over the security of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons. Referring to past diplomatic engagements, he said, “Since I served in the George W Bush administration during the 9/11 and went with the then secretary of state Colin Powell to Pakistan and then to India, one of the subjects that Colin Powell raised specifically with then-Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf was how secure Pakistan’s nuclear capabilities were. It has always remained a concern….. the risk of these nuclear weapons falling into the hands of terrorists or irresponsible commanders making their own decisions about using nuclear weapons would be very dangerous.”
India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, during a visit to Jammu and Kashmir, had earlier questioned Pakistan’s reliability as a nuclear power and called on the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to intervene. He asked whether nuclear weapons are safe in the hands of what he described as an “irresponsible and rogue nation.”
Pakistan has dismissed these comments as politically motivated and hypocritical. “It is ironic that John Bolton’s remarks were prompted by a statement from Rajnath Singh — a leader affiliated with a Hindu extremist organisation, known for repeatedly issuing threats of aggression against Pakistan”, the Foreign Office said, adding that: “In reality, the international community should be more concerned about India’s nuclear arsenal being controlled by individuals like Rajnath Singh, who harbor well-documented hostility toward Pakistan and Muslims, and exhibit dangerous delusions of grandeur.”
The Foreign Office further highlighted growing internal and external concerns over India’s own nuclear safeguards. “The escalating radicalisation of India’s political landscape, media and segments of its society raises legitimate nuclear security concerns. These concerns are further exacerbated by the persistence of a nuclear black market in India, highlighting serious deficiencies in its nuclear security framework — as evidenced by recurring incidents of theft and illicit trafficking of sensitive nuclear materials.”
Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has meanwhile directly accused Pakistan of orchestrating cross-border terrorism and rejected claims by US President Donald Trump that Washington brokered the recent ceasefire between India and Pakistan. During his visit to the Netherlands, Jaishankar spoke with Dutch media and once again accused Pakistan — without providing any evidence — of terror attacks, asking Islamabad to “Stop pretending Pakistan is not involved in terrorist attacks on India.”
Jaishankar spoke about the Pahalgam attack as well, alleging that people were murdered “after ascertaining their faith”. The Indian foreign minister again resorted to unfounded allegations regarding Pakistan’s military involvement in the Pahalgam attack, while also alluding to COAS Gen Asim Munir’s “religious outlook”.
Jaishankar didn’t stop at that and continued by saying that Pakistan knows what is going on and that “the most notorious terrorists on the UN list are in Pakistan”.
Trying to appeal to his Dutch audience, Jaishankar said, “Suppose there were military centres in the middle of Amsterdam, in which tens of thousands gather for military training. Would you say your government knows nothing about that?”
On the Kashmir issue, the foreign minister toed India’s position, stating: “As for Jammu and Kashmir, it is a historical fact that it joined India when India and Pakistan separated in 1947. Our position is that the illegal occupiers should return their illegally occupied parts to the rightful owner… and that is us.”
He also dismissed claims by Trump that the US president played a role in the May 12 ceasefire. “The US was in the United States”, Jaishankar remarked, noting that the ceasefire followed direct communication between Indian and Pakistani military officials. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) also echoed Jaishankar’s stance in its weekly briefing on Thursday. MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India is undertaking a global political outreach to raise awareness about terrorism emanating from Pakistan.
Jaiswal announced that seven multi-party delegations are being dispatched internationally to present India’s case post-Pahalgam to explain the goals of Operation Sindoor and reiterate India’s call for “zero tolerance on terrorism.”
Responding to Trump’s claims, Jaiswal said: “Any India-Pakistan engagement has to be bilateral… talks and terror don’t go together.”
On Kashmir, he said: “Any bilateral discussion on Jammu and Kashmir will only be on the vacation of illegally occupied Indian territory by Pakistan.” He also reiterated the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty until Pakistan halts cross-border terrorism, invoking Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s line: “Water and blood cannot flow together; trade and terror also cannot go together.”
However, not everyone in India is accepting the government’s stance without question. On Thursday, the Indian National Congress launched a blistering counterattack against the Modi government, accusing it of security failures and yielding to what it says was foreign influence.
At a press conference in New Delhi, Colonel Rohit Chaudhry of the All India Congress Committee’s Ex-Servicemen Department declared: “Despite US President Donald Trump publicly claiming credit for mediating the ceasefire, there was no rebuttal from Prime Minister Modi.” He called on Modi to disavow Trump’s claim and condemned what he termed “capitulation” to US pressure.
Chaudhry also called for Home Minister Amit Shah to be held accountable for the Pahalgam attack. “There was complete intelligence and security failure. Shah must take responsibility”, he said. He further alleged that Jaishankar betrayed India’s armed forces by allegedly notifying Pakistan in advance of military operations — an accusation the government has not addressed.
Congress MP Rahul Gandhi also weighed in on social media: “Modiji, stop giving hollow speeches. Just tell me: 1. Why did you believe Pakistan’s statement on terrorism? 2. Why did you sacrifice India’s interests by bowing to Trump? 3. Why does your blood boil only in front of cameras? You have compromised the honour of India!”
In a post on its official social media channels, the Congress party shared an animated image showing Indian soldiers advancing while Prime Minister Modi is seen cowering. The caption read: “The army fought with full force. Victory is just two steps away but when the chance comes there was no sudden stop. Hey Narendra, you shouldn’t have stopped!”
Adding to the criticism, Congress MP Chamala Kiran Kumar Reddy accused the government of excluding the opposition from the multi-party outreach, calling it “another example of the centre’s disregard for parliamentary norms.”
