ISLAMABAD: Rejecting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s hostile rhetoric as irresponsible, the Foreign Office on Wednesday warned Delhi against under-estimating the capability and determination of Pakistan’s armed forces to defend the country.

“Pakistan completely rejects Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s irresponsible and war-mongering remarks. These remarks are another reflection of India’s incurable obsession with Pakistan and the BJP government and leadership’s desperate attempts to divert attention from growing domestic and international criticism of their discriminatory, anti-Kashmir and anti-minority policies,” the FO said in a statement.

Reminds New Delhi of Indian air force’s losses

“The Indian prime minister’s threats and provocative statements further illustrate the extremist mindset that pervades the BJP leadership and has evidently permeated the state institutions in India,” it added.

Mr Modi while addressing the national cadet corps on Tuesday had claimed that Indian troops, in case of war, would not need more than “a week to 10 days” to defeat Pakistan.

Mr Modi’s statement was the latest in a series of hostile comments against Pakistan by the Indian leadership.

Earlier this month, Indian army chief Gen Manoj Mukund Narvane while addressing his first press conference in Delhi after assuming charge claimed that Indian troops could also occupy Azad Kashmir if the Indian parliament mandated their army to do so.

Islamabad has cautioned the world on multiple occasions over the past few months about the possibility of India undertaking a military misadventure against Pakistan. The threat of such a misstep has increased because of aggravating India’s domestic situation as protests against the controversial Indian citizenship law and National Register of Citizens spread across the country. Moreover, the occupied Jammu and Kashmir has been under curfew ever since its controversial annexation by India on Aug 5 last year. In this situation, it is feared, India may initiate a conflict to divert the world attention from its internal crisis.

“No one should underestimate the resolve of the people and the armed forces of Pakistan to effectively thwart any aggressive action,” the FO said.

The FO statement also reminded Mr Modi of the “immediate and effective response” to the Balakot misadventure, in which the Indian Air Force lost two of its fighter jets and one of their pilots was captured.

This, the FO underscored, “should suffice to underscore the will, capacity and preparedness of our armed forces”.

Pakistan called on the international community to take note of Indian government’s “continuing belligerent rhetoric and aggressive measures”.

It warned that Indian actions posed threat to regional peace and security.

“We hope steps would be taken to facilitate peaceful resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute for durable peace and stability in South Asia,” the FO maintained.

Published in Dawn, January 30th, 2020