ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif on Sunday warned that any fresh Indian aggression would be met with a stronger response, saying New Delhi’s military and political leaders were trying to restore credibility after suffering setbacks during a brief but intense war with Pakistan in May 2025.
Asif’s remarks followed comments by India’s army chief General Upendra Dwivedi, who told soldiers near the Pakistan border on Friday Islamabad must stop “backing terror” if it wanted to “remain on the world map.” Dwivedi said India would not show the restraint it exercised during a brief war with Pakistan in May this year, in which, according to the Indian army, nine facilities inside Pakistan were hit and more than 100 Pakistani soldiers and militants killed.
The May 2025 hostilities — the most serious confrontation between the nuclear-armed neighbors in years — saw Pakistan and India exchange missile, drone and artillery strikes for four days before an uneasy ceasefire was restored through US mediation.
“The statements by Indian military and political leaders are a failed attempt to restore their lost credibility,” Asif wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
“After such a decisive defeat with a score of 0–6, if they try again, the score god willing will be much better than before. … This time India will be buried under the wreckage of its own planes.”
Pakistan has said it shot down six Indian fighter jets during the May conflict, including the French-made Rafale. India has acknowledged some losses but denied losing six aircraft. Last week, the Indian air chief said India had downed five Pakistani fighter jets of the F-16 and JF-17 class during the intense May fighting.
The conflict, the worst between the old foes in decades, was sparked by an attack on Hindu tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir in April, which New Delhi said was backed by Pakistan. Islamabad denied involvement in the Kashmir attack, which killed 26 men and was the worst assault on civilians in India since the Mumbai attacks in 2008.
India said in July that three “terrorists” involved in the attack had been killed, and there was “lot of proof” that they were Pakistanis.
Pakistan’s foreign ministry had questioned the credibility of India’s account of the events, saying it was “replete with fabrications.”
Ties between the countries, which have fought two of their three wars over the Himalayan region of Kashmir, have been downgraded since the attack, with the impact being felt in areas ranging from trade and travel to sports.
Pakistan’s military has also responded to the Indian army chief’s threats, calling them “delusional, provocative and jingoistic” and warning that a renewed conflict “might lead to cataclysmic devastation” and that Pakistan “shall not hold back” if hostilities resume.
“Those seeking to establish a new normal must know that Pakistan has established a new normal of response, which will be swift, decisive and destructive,” the ISPR said, adding that any attempt to erase Pakistan from the map “will be mutual.”
India and Pakistan, which have fought three wars since independence in 1947, remain at a virtual diplomatic standstill since the 2025 clashes, trading accusations of cross-border militancy and military provocation.
