Pakistan's Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the public relations wing of the country's armed forces, came out with a response to the statements made by Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and the Air and Army chiefs in connection with Operation Sindoor.
Declaring the statements made by New Delhi's political and military leadership "highly provocative", the ISPR in an official statement on Saturday said that Pakistan will not show any restraint in future conflicts and will strike the farthest reaches of the Indian territory.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had issued a warning to the neighbouring nation, saying any misadventure by Islamabad in the Sir Creek sector will invite a "decisive response" that could be strong enough to change both "history and geography". It was followed by Indian Air Force (IAF) chief Amar Preet Singh claiming that India downed five Pakistani fighter jets of the F-16 and JF-17 class during Operation Sindoor. Pakistan's losses included Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS), radars, command and control centres, runways and hangars, he said.
A day later, Indian Army chief General Upendra Dwivedi gave a stern warning to Pakistan, saying India will not show the restraint it showed during Operation Sindoor the next time. Speaking at Anupgarh in Rajasthan, he said, "This time we will not maintain the restraint that we did in Operation Sindoor 1.0... this time we will do something that Pakistan will have to think whether it wants to be in geography or not."
The statement released by the ISPR was a response to these comments, Pakistani media reports said. It labelled the statements to be “delusional, provocative and jingoistic statements coming from the highest levels of the Indian security establishment”.
“Earlier this year, the Indian aggression against Pakistan brought two nuclear powers to the brink of a major war. However, India seems to have forgotten the wreckage of its fighter jets and the wrath of Pakistan’s long-range vectors. Suffering from collective amnesia, India now seems to be aching for the next round of confrontation," it reportedly said.
“In the face of highly provocative statements of the Indian defence minister and its army and air chiefs, we caution that a future conflict might lead to cataclysmic devastation. In case a fresh round of hostilities is triggered, Pakistan shall not hold back. We shall resolutely respond, without any qualms or restraint," The Dawn quoted it as saying.
In case of future altercations the Pak military reportedly vouched to "shatter the myth of geographic immunity, hitting the farthest reaches of the Indian territory," it reportedly said, before adding that: “As for the talk of erasing Pakistan from the map, India must know that if the situation comes, the erasure will be mutual.”
For decades, India has benefited from playing the victim card and painting Pakistan in a negative light and Pakistan now, "has established a new normal of response, which will be swift, decisive and destructive”. The world recognises India as a player perpetrating terrorism in South Asia and beyond apart from being the true face of cross-border terrorism and the epicentre of regional instability, The Dawn quoted the statement as saying.