Pakistan envoy's nuclear threat to India amid tensions over Pahalgam attack

Sun May 04 11:05:28 IST 2025

Pakistan will use the “full spectrum of power, both conventional and nuclear” in response to any Indian military action or interference with its water supply, its ambassador to Russia, Muhammad Khalid Jamali said. His comments come amid spiralling tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbours following the April 22 terrorist attack in J&K's Pahalgam that killed 26 tourists.

Speaking to RT on Saturday, Jamali claimed Pakistan has intelligence suggesting that India is planning military strikes. “There are some other leaked documents whereby it has been decided to strike certain areas of Pakistan,” he said. “So that makes us feel that this is going to happen and it’s imminent.” He added, “We in Pakistan will use the full spectrum of power, both conventional and nuclear.”

In response to India's suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty following the attack, Jamali said, “Any attempt to usurp the water of the lower riparian, or to stop it, or to divert it would be an act of war against Pakistan and would be responded to with full force of power including full spectrum of power.”

Tensions have escalated since the April 22 terror attack, with Pakistani troops violating the ceasefire across multiple sectors along the Line of Control (LoC) for over 10 consecutive nights. Indian forces responded with what officials described as “prompt and proportionate” retaliation.

Jamali also reiterated Pakistan's call for a "neutral" probe. “As the two countries are two nuclear powers, there is all the more need to de-escalate the tensions,” he said.

“I think the role of the international community comes in. And in this regard, we expect that powers like China and Russia can participate in those investigations,” he added.

India has already dismissed Pakistan’s call for a “neutral” probe into the Pahalgam killings, calling it a deceptive attempt to divert attention from Islamabad’s role in the massacre.

"They are pursuing their familiar playbook of deception and duplicity. The term 'neutral' is nothing but a loaded euphemism for the blatant lie that those making the offer were not complicit in the carnage. They are trying to pull the wool over the world's eyes," an official told TOI.

India has signalled that the response to the Pahalgam massacre will be “firm and decisive.” Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a high-level meeting with military and security chiefs, granting the armed forces complete operational freedom to determine their response. A Cabinet Committee on Security briefing confirmed cross-border linkages in the Pahalgam attack and said the perpetrators and conspirators would be brought to justice.