India Slams Pakistani Army Chief’s Nuclear Threat, Calls Remarks “Irresponsible”

India on Monday sharply condemned Pakistani Army Chief General Asim Munir’s recent nuclear threat, delivered from US soil, dismissing it as yet another instance of Islamabad’s “nuclear sabre-rattling.”

Speaking at a private dinner in Florida, Munir reportedly warned of “nuclear war,” claiming Pakistan would “take down half the world” if faced with an existential crisis in a future conflict with India. “We are a nuclear nation. If we believe we are going down, we will take half the world down with us,” he was quoted as saying.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) described the remarks as “regrettable,” particularly given they were made “from the soil of a friendly third country.” “Nuclear sabre-rattling is Pakistan’s stock-in-trade,” the MEA said, adding that such statements reinforce global concerns about the safety and integrity of Pakistan’s nuclear command and control, especially in a state where the military is closely linked with terrorist groups.

The ministry reaffirmed that India would never yield to nuclear blackmail and would take “all steps necessary to safeguard national security.”

Israel Joins in Condemnation
Reacting to Munir’s comments, Israeli Ambassador to India Reuven Azar described the threat as “not conducive” and expressed solidarity with India. “We stand very firmly with our friends,” he said.

Government sources in New Delhi labelled the statement “highly irresponsible,” warning that it demonstrated Pakistan’s willingness to jeopardise both regional and global security. They cautioned that whenever the Pakistani military enjoys US backing, “it invariably shows its true colours.”

“There are legitimate concerns about Pakistan possessing nuclear weapons, given the absence of real democracy and the risk of these weapons falling into the hands of non-state actors,” the sources noted.

A First from US Soil
Munir’s remarks mark the first publicly known instance of a Pakistani nuclear threat issued from US territory against a third country.

Currently on his second visit to the US in less than two months since a brief four-day clash with India, Munir also targeted New Delhi over the control of the Indus River. According to a statement from the Pakistani military, his trip includes high-level meetings with senior American political and defence leaders, as well as engagements with the Pakistani diaspora.

Munir described his back-to-back visits to Washington as representing “a new dimension” in Pakistan–US relations.