Jammu: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson and convenor for international affairs Gaurav Gupta on Sunday dismissed Pakistan’s latest nuclear warnings as empty threats, saying they would neither intimidate India nor change the status of Jammu and Kashmir.
Gupta was reacting to remarks by Pakistan’s Commander of the National Strategic Command, General Syed Aamer Raza, who reportedly warned on October 17 that any miscalculation by adversaries would invite a response “far beyond the imagination” of the initiator. Raza made the remarks while addressing a passing-out parade at the Pakistan Military Academy in Kakul.
In a statement, Gupta accused Pakistan of using threatening rhetoric to provoke tensions and said India would not tolerate terrorism, cross-border aggression or attempts to challenge its sovereignty.
He asserted that Jammu and Kashmir was an integral part of India and said threats from across the border would not alter the region’s status. He also called on Pakistan to focus on regional peace and stability rather than issuing warnings involving nuclear capabilities.
Gupta said India’s restraint should not be interpreted as weakness and maintained that the country was prepared to defend its territorial integrity. He also criticised what he described as Pakistan’s attempts to internationalise the Kashmir issue through provocative statements.
He said lasting peace in the region required an end to terrorism, threats and cross-border interference, rather than inflammatory rhetoric.