Monitoring Desk
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has strongly condemned recent remarks made by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a speech in Gujarat, describing them as a “reckless provocation” and a dangerous escalation in the already volatile regional climate.
The Foreign Office (FO) issued a sharp rebuke on Tuesday, criticizing Modi’s tone and messaging, which it said resembled a campaign rally more than a statesmanlike address. The condemnation comes in the wake of a deadly cross-border confrontation between the two nuclear-armed neighbours earlier this month.
The recent military flare-up was triggered by Indian allegations—unsupported by evidence—linking Pakistan to an attack in Pahalgam, located in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). In retaliation, New Delhi carried out air strikes on Pakistani territory during the night of May 6–7, causing civilian casualties. Pakistan responded by shooting down five Indian fighter jets. Both sides launched further drone intercepts and tit-for-tat airbase strikes before a U.S.-brokered ceasefire took effect on May 10.
In a video clip shared by Indian news outlet ANI, Modi told a crowd in Gujarat, “The people of Pakistan must come forward to rid their country of terrorism… Live a life of peace, eat your bread or [choose my] bullet.” His remarks were met with cheers from a crowd dressed in nationalist colours.
The Foreign Office said such “hate-driven invocation of violence” is disturbing in both content and precedent. “Delivered in Gujarat with the theatrical flourish of a campaign rally rather than the sobriety expected of the leader of a nuclear-armed state,” the FO noted, adding that such statements violate the UN Charter’s core principles which call for peaceful resolution of disputes and prohibit the use of force.
Pakistan warned that these remarks are likely intended to divert attention from ongoing human rights violations and demographic engineering in occupied Kashmir. “If extremism is truly a concern for India, it must confront the dangerous rise of Hindutva-fueled majoritarianism and the systematic disenfranchisement of minorities,” the statement said.
While reaffirming its commitment to peace based on mutual respect and sovereign equality, Pakistan made clear that any threat to its territorial integrity would be met with “firm and proportionate” response in line with Article 51 of the UN Charter.
The FO called on the international community to take serious notice of India’s escalating rhetoric, warning that such provocations threaten regional stability and the broader prospects for lasting peace in South Asia.
