ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office has condemned Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s “highly provocative and irresponsible comments” about the Kashmir dispute, warning that New Delhi must not underestimate Pakistan’s resolve to “thwart any Indian adventurism”.
On Sunday, the Indian defence minister stated that there would be “no talks with Pakistan”. According to the Times of India, he went on to say that if any took place, they would only be on Azad Jammu and Kashmir, claiming that it was “illegally occupied by Pakistan”. He also said that any “misadventure” would invite a response “beyond their imagination”, the publication said.
The FO responded to the claims in a statement issued on Monday, saying Pakistan condemned in the “strongest possible terms the highly provocative and irresponsible comments” by the Indian defence minister.
“His statement not only distorts facts regarding the UN and internationally recognised Jammu and Kashmir dispute that remains on the agenda of the UN Security Council but also shows Indian government’s deliberate policy to threaten regional and international peace and security,” the FO said.
Khawaja Asif says coercive rhetoric cannot alter facts
“Such insinuations are an attempt to divert attention from India’s continued occupation of Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, its sponsorship of terrorism across the region, as well as its domestic instability,” it said.
While resorting to its misplaced rhetoric of aggression and belligerence, India must not underestimate the people and government of Pakistan’s unwavering resolve and determination to thwart any Indian adventurism as demonstrated by the entire Pakistani nation and its valiant armed forces during Operation Bunyanum Marsoos last year, it added.
“Pakistan urges the international community, in particular the United Nations, to take note of India’s continued rogue behaviour and to hold it accountable for its failure to uphold the relevant UN Security Council resolutions that guarantee the right to self-determination of the people of Jammu and Kashmir,” the FO statement said.
Meanwhile, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said that India’s “continued attempts to rewrite internationally recognised legal realities through coercive rhetoric cannot alter the facts”.
Referring to the remarks by his Indian counterpart, Mr Asif said that such statements reflected a continued attempt to distort internationally recognised legal realities through political rhetoric and coercive posturing. “They neither alter the status of the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir nor contribute to regional peace, stability or meaningful dialogue,” the minister said in a post on X.
“India’s repeated attempts to malign Pakistan lack credibility in light of its own well-documented record of state-sponsored terrorism and criminal activities. In fact, India remains the biggest sponsor of terrorism and perpetrator of instability in South Asia, holding the region hostage to its aggressively revisionist designs,” Mr Asif said.
“Equally alarming is India’s irresponsible rhetoric which risks lowering the threshold for interstate conflict in the region,” he added.
Mr Asif said Pakistan remained committed to peace and dialogue but its resolve to safeguard its sovereignty, territorial integrity and national security “is absolute and must never be tested”. “Defence minister’s rhetoric is an attempt to deflect the attention from internal turmoil and increasing unrest and discontent against Modi’s autocratic and divisive style of governance,” he said.
Published in Dawn, July 28th, 2026
