MEA Warns Pakistan Over ‘Reckless War-Mongering’, Cautions Of ‘Painful Consequences’
India strongly condemned Pakistan's "reckless" anti-India rhetoric following Pakistan Army chief Asim Munir's nuclear threat and Shehbaz Sharif's remarks threatening India over the Indus Water Treaty.
India has issued a strong rebuttal to repeated anti-India statements from Pakistan’s political and military leadership, warning that any misadventure would invite a severe response.
On Thursday, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal condemned what he described as a “continuing pattern of reckless, war-mongering and hateful comments” from Islamabad. “It is a well-known modus operandi of the Pakistani leadership to whip up anti-India rhetoric time and again to hide their own failures. Pakistan would be well-advised to temper its rhetoric, as any misadventure will have painful consequences, as was demonstrated recently,” Jaiswal stated.
#WATCH | Delhi | On Pakistani leadership's comments against India, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal says, "We have seen reports regarding a continuing pattern of reckless, war-mongering and hateful comments from Pakistani leadership against India. It is a well-known modus… pic.twitter.com/YlmHhIo7lV
— ANI (@ANI) August 14, 2025
Regarding the award by the Court of Arbitration under the Indus Water Treaty, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal emphasised, "India has never accepted the legality, legitimacy, or competence of the so-called Court of Arbitration. Its pronouncements are therefore without jurisdiction, devoid of legal standing, and have no bearing on India’s rights of utilisation of waters. India also categorically rejects Pakistan’s selective and misleading references to the so-called “award”.
"As reiterated in our press release of 27 June 2025, the Indus Waters Treaty stands in abeyance by a sovereign decision of the Government of India, taken in response to Pakistan’s continued sponsorship of cross-border terrorism, including the barbaric Pahalgam attack," he added.
#WATCH | Delhi | On a question by ANI regarding the award by the Court of Arbitration under the Indus Water Treaty, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal says, "India has never accepted the legality, legitimacy, or competence of the so-called Court of Arbitration. Its pronouncements… pic.twitter.com/cx8zdrAtYN
— ANI (@ANI) August 14, 2025
Sharif Raises Indus Waters Dispute Amid Tensions
The remarks came after Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif reignited tensions over the Indus water dispute, declaring on Tuesday that his country would not allow the loss of “even one drop” of its share. His warning followed New Delhi’s move to place the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) on hold after the 22 April Pahalgam terror attack.
“I want to tell the enemy today that if you threaten to hold our water, then keep this in mind that you cannot snatch even one drop of Pakistan,” Sharif said at a ceremony, as quoted by PTI. He added, “If you attempt such an act, you will be again taught such a lesson that you will be left holding your ears.”
India’s decision to suspend IWT operations is part of a series of punitive measures against Islamabad, which has repeatedly warned that blocking its water supply would be deemed an act of war.
Bilawal, Pak Army Chief Munir Escalate War of Words
Former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari criticised the suspension of the treaty, calling it “an attack on the Indus Valley Civilisation” and describing it as the “biggest attack” on the Sindhu River. “People of Sindh raise their voices and reach the ground to save Sindhu (river) when such an attack is launched,” he remarked.
Meanwhile, Pakistan Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir took a hard line during an address to the Pakistani diaspora in Tampa, Florida, where he said that Islamabad would destroy any dam built to restrict water to Pakistan. “We will wait for India to build a dam, and when they do so, we will destroy it,” he reportedly said. “The Indus River is not the Indians’ family property. We have no shortage of resources to undo the Indian designs to stop the river.”
Munir also made remarks hinting at nuclear threats, reportedly stating, “We are a nuclear nation. If we think we are going down, we’ll take half the world down with us.” He warned that Pakistan’s nuclear weapons could be deployed in the event of an existential threat from India.
India Rejects ‘Nuclear Blackmail’
In its response, the MEA dismissed Munir’s statements as Pakistan’s “stock-in-trade” and said they reinforced “the well-held doubts about the integrity of nuclear command and control in Pakistan, where the military is hand-in-glove with terrorist groups.”
“It is regrettable that these remarks should have been made from the soil of a friendly third country,” the ministry said, in an apparent reference to the United States, adding that India would “not give in to nuclear blackmail” and would take all steps to safeguard national security.
The escalating exchange comes in the aftermath of India’s Operation Sindoor on 7 May, which targeted terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in retaliation for the Pahalgam attack that claimed 26 civilian lives. The two countries agreed to halt hostilities on 10 May after four days of drone and missile strikes.
Islamabad, however, reiterated on Monday that it remains committed to fully implementing the IWT and urged India to “immediately resume” normal operations under the pact, which New Delhi has kept suspended since May.
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