ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s foreign office on Monday rejected Indian allegations of “sabre rattling” as misleading, promising a “matching response” to any aggression by New Delhi.
India’s ministry of external affairs (MEA) accused Pakistan of “sabre rattling” and “irresponsibility” after media reports on remarks about nuclear threats in South Asia made by Pakistan’s army chief while on a visit to the United States (US).
Pakistan’s Field Marshal Asim Munir was said to have made the remarks at a black-tie dinner hosted by a Pakistani-origin businessman in Florida on Saturday, where he spoke to a crowd of more than 100 people.
An excerpt of his speech shared by Pakistani security officials did not include such remarks, while the foreign office in Islamabad said the Indian MEA’s statement was yet another demonstration of their “chronic tendency to distorting facts and twisting statements out of context.”
“The Indian narrative of an alleged ‘nuclear blackmail’ is a misleading and self-serving construct,” it said in a statement. “Pakistan remains firmly opposed to the use or threat of use of force. India’s sabre rattling and war mongering, whenever confronted, invite unfounded allegations bereft of rationality.”
