By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office on Tuesday sharply condemned Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for what it called a “reckless provocation” after the Hindu nationalist leader urged Pakistanis to eradicate terrorism or face severe consequences.
The rebuke, delivered in response to Modi’s speech in Gujarat, underscores the deepening rift between the nuclear-armed neighbours amid a fragile ceasefire.
“Pakistan has taken note of the recent remarks by the Prime Minister of India, 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 Foreign Office said in a statement.
“The hate-driven invocation of violence in his remarks is deeply disturbing, not only for its content but for the dangerous precedent it sets in a region already burdened by volatility.”
The latest flare-up follows a military clash sparked by India’s unproven claims, linking Islamabad to a deadly attack in occupied Kashmir’s Pahalgam last month. On May 6-7, Indian air strikes inside Pakistan killed civilians. Islamabad responded by downing five Indian jets and intercepting drones, triggering retaliatory strikes on airbases. US mediation on May 10 secured a tenuous ceasefire.
In a video released by the Indian news wire ANI, Modi addressed a crowd in Gujarat, many clad in the orange and white colours of his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
“The people of Pakistan must come forward to rid their country of terrorism. Their youth will have to come forward,” Modi said. Then, in a highly proactive and threatening tone, he added: “Live a life of peace, eat your bread or [choose my] bullet.”
The Foreign Office responded swiftly, saying Pakistan regrets the continued erosion of maturity and decorum in Indian statecraft.
“Such statements blatantly violate the fundamental principles of the United Nations Charter, which obliges member states to resolve disputes peacefully and to refrain from the threat or use of force against the sovereignty or political independence of other states.”
The statement accused India of using the remarks to deflect attention from “ongoing human rights abuses and demographic engineering in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu & Kashmir”.
“Pakistan’s record as a leading contributor to UN peacekeeping and its consistent cooperation in global counter-terrorism efforts speak louder than any hostile soundbite,” the Foreign Office countered.
“If extremism is indeed a concern for the Indian government, it would do well to turn inward—toward the alarming rise of majoritarianism, religious intolerance, and the systematic disenfranchisement of minorities under the increasingly brutal Hindutva ideology.”
The Hindu nationalist ideology, tied to Modi’s BJP, has faced criticism for fueling discrimination against India’s Muslims.
While reaffirming its commitment to “peace based on mutual respect and sovereign equality,” the Foreign Office warned that “any threat to its (Pakistan) security or territorial integrity will be met with firm and proportionate measures, in accordance with Article 51 of the U.N. Charter,” which upholds the right to self-defense.
The Foreign Office called on the international community to take “serious note of India’s escalating rhetoric, which undermines regional stability and the prospects for lasting peace.”
The exchange is the latest in a decades-long rivalry that has fueled three wars, two over Kashmir, since India and Pakistan’s independence in 1947. With both nations possessing nuclear arsenals, the recent skirmish and heated rhetoric have heightened global concerns. Though the U.S.-brokered ceasefire holds for now, Modi’s provocative tone and Pakistan’s firm response signal that stability in South Asia remains precarious.
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