India Slams Pakistani Army Chief’s Nuclear Remarks, Vows to Defend National Security

India has strongly condemned Pakistani Army Chief Gen. Asim Munir’s provocative remarks threatening nuclear escalation, issued not from Islamabad, but from U.S. soil.

Speaking at a private event in Tampa, Florida, Munir reportedly declared that Pakistan would “take half the world down” if it faced an existential threat in a future conflict with India.

This is believed to be the first known instance in modern diplomatic history where a country has issued a nuclear threat against a third nation while on a visit to the United States, raising serious concerns in New Delhi and among the international community.

Reacting sharply, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said the remarks “reaffirm longstanding global concerns” about Pakistan’s nuclear command structure and the dangers of conflating military leadership with extremist rhetoric.

“Our attention has been drawn to remarks reportedly made by the Pakistani Chief of Army Staff while on a visit to the United States,” said MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal.

“Nuclear sabre-rattling is Pakistan’s stock-in-trade. The international community can draw its own conclusions on the irresponsibility inherent in such remarks, which also reinforce well-held doubts about the integrity of nuclear command and control in a state where the military is hand-in-glove with terrorist groups,” he said.

“It is also regrettable that these remarks should have been made from the soil of a friendly third country. India has already made it clear that it will not give in to nuclear blackmail. We will continue to take all steps necessary to safeguard our national security.”