ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s military said on Saturday India was trying to invent reasons for renewed aggression, issuing a strongly worded statement in response to hostile statements from New Delhi this week and warning Pakistan would not hold back and would “hit the farthest reaches” of the neighboring state if fresh clashes erupt.

India targeted several sites in Pakistan earlier this year after a militant attack in the disputed Kashmir region which it blamed on Islamabad, despite Pakistan’s denial of involvement and its call for an international probe. The escalation between the two nuclear-armed neighbors triggered intense missile, drone and artillery exchanges before a US-brokered ceasefire was announced on May 10.

Pakistan said it shot down six Indian fighter jets, including French-made Rafales, with New Delhi acknowledging some losses but disputing the number. Earlier this week, Indian Air Force Chief Amar Preet Singh claimed his forces had downed five Pakistani fighter planes, while Indian Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi accused Islamabad of “terrorism” and warned that India would strike so hard that its rival would “lose a place in history and geography.”

Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh also alleged Pakistan had engaged in a military buildup near a sensitive border area, saying “a route to Karachi passes through Sir Creek.”

“We have noted with grave concern the delusional, provocative and jingoistic statements coming from the highest levels of the Indian security establishment,” the military’s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), said in a statement. “These irresponsible statements indicate a renewed attempt at fabricating arbitrary pretexts for aggression — a prospect which might lead to serious consequences for peace and stability in South Asia.”

“In the face of highly provocative statements of the Indian Defense Minister and its Army and Air Chiefs, we caution that a future conflict might lead to cataclysmic devastation,” it added. “In case a fresh round of hostilities is triggered, Pakistan shall not hold back. We shall resolutely respond, without any qualms or restraint.”

The statement accused India of “stoking violence” and “perpetrating terrorism” in the region — allegations New Delhi has previously denied — and said the world now recognized it as “the epicenter of regional instability.”

ISPR further warned Pakistan would strike deep inside India if attacked again.

“This time we shall shatter the myth of geographic immunity, hitting the farthest reaches of the Indian territory,” it said. “As for the talk of erasing Pakistan from the map, India must know that if the situation comes, the erasure will be mutual.”

The two South Asian rivals have fought three full-scale wars and numerous border skirmishes since their independence from Britain in 1947.

Any escalating rhetoric from both sides risks destabilizing the ceasefire and undermining diplomatic efforts to maintain calm.