Pakistan reserves the right to respond to India’s missile attacks in a bid to defend itself and re-establish its nuclear deterrence, former Pakistan Army Brigadier Rashid Wali told Al Jazeera.

“Pakistan was quite stunned that a nuclear power could be so careless,” Wali said.

The former Army brigadier said he expected Islamabad’s response to be proportionate and against military targets.

He also argued that Pakistan was confronted with “spurious accusations” after the Pahalgam attack, in which 26 civilians were killed in Indian-occupied Kashmir on April 22, despite offering its collaboration in an international investigation.