India Rips Into Asim Munir’s Nuclear Remarks, Says Pakistan Playing With Fire

India on Monday strongly condemned Pakistani Army chief Asim Munir's latest nuclear threat, calling it yet another instance of Islamabad's habitual "nuclear sabre-rattling." New Delhi said the remarks expose Pakistan's dangerous and irresponsible nuclear posture, warning that the global community should take note of such instability.

"Our attention has been drawn to comments reportedly made by the Pakistani Chief of Army Staff during a visit to the United States. Nuclear sabre-rattling is Pakistan's stock-in-trade," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement. The MEA emphasised that when such threats come from the highest levels of Pakistan's military, it raises serious doubts about the safety, stability, and credibility of its nuclear command system.

"The international community can draw its own conclusions on the irresponsibility inherent in such remarks, which also reinforce the well-founded concerns about the integrity of nuclear command and control in a country where the military is hand-in-glove with terrorist organisations," the MEA added.

India also took a swipe at Washington, noting that it was "regrettable" such dangerous comments were made "from the soil of a friendly third country."

Reiterating its firm stance, New Delhi made it clear that India would never be cowed by Islamabad's nuclear blackmail. "India has already made it clear that it will not give in to nuclear blackmail. We will continue to take all steps necessary to safeguard our national security," the statement read.

The controversy erupted after Munir, in a private dinner, was quoted as saying, "We are a nuclear nation. If we believe we are going down, we will take half the world down with us."

According to India, such rhetoric underlines Pakistan's reckless attitude towards its nuclear arsenal and cements its image as a destabilising force in South Asia.