‘Don’t Test Our Resolve’: Pakistan Army to India on Nuclear Threat

“Do not test our resolve,” Ghafoor said while addressing India, stressing that Pak will fully defend its people.

File image of Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor.

(Photo Courtesy: ISPR)

Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor on Monday, 29 April, warned India against testing its military’s resolve, saying that the country was ‘capable of protecting its citizens’.

"India says that Pakistan’s attitude needs to change. We say that you have not been able to change our attitude, but maybe you need to look inwards and look at the way you have approached the relationship between the two countries,” Ghafoor said, as per a Dawn report.

“In your (Indian) rhetoric, you keep using nuclear power as a threat. Nuclear powers are not a threat, they are a weapon of deterrence that should not be mentioned lightly.”

Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor, Director General, ISPR

"Do not test our resolve," he said while addressing India, stressing that the Pakistan Army will fully defend its 207 million people if and when required.

Ghafoor was seemingly referring to a remark made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier this month, saying that India’s nuclear weapons are “not meant for Diwali”.

‘India Telling Countless Lies’

Ghafoor also said that India had ‘falsely’ accused Pakistan of being behind the Pulwama terror attack.

“We told them we were not involved. India then violated our airspace, we then gave the ultimatum that we will respond when we see fit, just like the PM said. Two months have passed since and India has told countless lies on the matter.”

Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor, Director General, ISPR

“We have not responded to the lies, not because we can’t, but because we don’t want to retaliate,” he said, as per the report.

He also reiterated that Pakistan had incurred no damage from India’s air strikes.

“International media came to Pakistan, we told them that they should go to the place and see for themselves what had happened. India had said that 300 people had died in their attack (in Balakot). Then they said that they had used a small-scale missile that bore a tiny hole in the ceiling of the building and then exploded inside. We again offered to show your own (Indian) media the site,” he added.

(With inputs from Dawn, PTI)