By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Wednesday sharply rebuked comments by India’s national security adviser, Ajit Doval, who had urged his country to “avenge” its history of subjugation by building a stronger nation, dismissing the rhetoric as the product of “camouflaged hate-mongers” driven by “imagined historical vendettas.”
Tahir Andrabi, a spokesman for the Foreign Office, said the remarks were “hardly surprising” and undermined efforts at responsible diplomacy and regional stability. “We have seen the reports on remarks made by the National Security Advisor of India,” Andrabi said in response to questions from reporters. “Such rhetoric is hardly surprising coming from camouflaged hate-mongers, for whom imagined historical vendettas are a substitute for responsible statecraft.”
Doval delivered his speech on Jan. 10 at the Viksit Bharat Young Leaders Dialogue in New Delhi, where he addressed a group of young delegates. He invoked the sacrifices of independence-era figures like Mahatma Gandhi, Subhas Chandra Bose and Bhagat Singh, arguing that their struggles should fuel India’s drive toward greater strength in security, economic and social realms. India must fortify itself “not only at its borders but also economically, socially and in other areas,” Doval said, framing the push as a way to redress a “painful history of attacks and subjugation.”
He described the sentiment of vengeance as a potential “motivating force for national development.” The language of revenge drew swift scrutiny in Pakistan, where officials viewed it as inflammatory and potentially destabilising amid fragile cross-border ties. This is not the first pointed exchange between the two countries’ security officials. In June 2025, during a meeting of national security advisers at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Beijing, Pakistan’s Lt. Gen. Asim Malik rebutted claims by Doval, who had referenced “Operation Sindoor” as an antiterrorism effort and made what Islamabad called baseless accusations. Lt. Gen. Malik dismissed the assertions as a “bundle of lies,” adding that India had grown “accustomed to blaming others for its internal problems and policy failures instead of addressing them domestically.”
Tensions between India and Pakistan escalated sharply in May 2025, culminating in a four-day military confrontation that ended with a ceasefire agreement. The episode highlighted the volatility of their rivalry, rooted in disputes dating to the 1947 partition of British India, including three full-scale wars and ongoing clashes over the Himalayan region of Kashmir. Both sides have accused each other of sponsoring terrorism and meddling in internal affairs, complicating diplomatic initiatives in a region where stability is vital for broader Asian security.
Pakistan’s response to Doval’s latest comments reflects Islamabad’s broader pushback against what it sees as aggressive posturing from New Delhi under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government, which has emphasized Hindu nationalism and historical narratives in its foreign policy.
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