ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s military on Wednesday accused India’s armed forces of reviving “delusional, fabricated and provocative propaganda” ahead of state elections, warning that chest-thumping by a nuclear-armed military could stoke a cycle of jingoism and destabilize South Asia.
The statement comes five months after the May 2025 India-Pakistan conflict, termed “Marka-e-Haq” (“Battle of Truth”) by Pakistan’s military, which saw the two nations exchange artillery, missile and drone strikes before a US-brokered ceasefire was announced on May 10. The calm has largely held since the truce.
On Wednesday the military’s media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), alleged Indian military leaders have resumed pre-election rhetoric in the run-up to Bihar assembly polls scheduled for Nov. 6 and 11, 2025, and West Bengal’s assembly elections due in 2026. ISPR said such statements were being issued “under immense political pressure.”
Indian political and security rhetoric in recent months has included public statements blaming Pakistan for supporting terrorism in Kashmir, claims that Pakistani forces plan incursions ahead of India’s elections and assertions of “bloodshed” narratives designed to rally domestic political support.
“Any professional soldier would know that unnecessary chest-thumping and unwarranted statements might initiate a cycle of jingoism and lead to serious consequences for peace and stability in South Asia,” ISPR said.
“Every act of aggression will be dealt with a swift, resolute and intense response that will be remembered by posterity.”
The military said it viewed with “grave concern” what it called repeat pre-poll narratives from India and described them as attempts to “mold history” with “Bollywood-style scripts.”
The heaviest fighting in decades between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan was sparked by an April 22 attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that killed 26 people, most of them tourists. New Delhi blamed the incident on “terrorists” backed by Pakistan, a charge denied by Islamabad.
On May 7, Indian jets bombed what New Delhi called “terrorist infrastructure” sites across the border. Pakistan has said it downed six Indian planes, including at least three Rafale fighters, in the initial clashes. Islamabad has denied it suffered any losses of planes but has acknowledged its air bases suffered some hits although losses were minimal.
Pakistan and India have been at loggerheads since their independence from British colonial rule in 1947 and both claim the disputed Kashmir region in full but rule it in part.
