Pakistan Envoy Threatens India With Nuke Strike: Will Use 'Full Spectrum Of Power'

Amid rising tensions between India and Pakistan following last month's terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Pakistan's Ambassador to Russia has issued a stark warning, stating that Islamabad would employ its "full spectrum of power", including nuclear weapons, should New Delhi launch an attack.

In an interview with RT, Ambassador Muhammad Khalid Jamali claimed that leaked documents suggested India was planning strikes on specific areas within Pakistan, adding that conflict appeared "imminent".

Photo Credit: https://x.com/PakinRussia

"The frenzied Indian media and irresponsible remarks coming from their side have left us with little choice. Some additional leaked documents indicate a decision to strike certain Pakistani locations. This leads us to believe that an attack is impending," he stated.

"When it comes to India and Pakistan, we have no interest in debating numerical strength. We shall utilise the full range of our capabilities - both conventional and nuclear," he warned.

Jamali stressed that Pakistan's armed forces, with the backing of its population, would respond with the "full spectrum of power".

Pakistan has remained on edge since Pakistan-backed militants launched a brutal assault on tourists in Baisaran Valley, located in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam region, on April 22. The remote meadow can only be reached by foot or horseback.

Previously, Pakistani minister Hanif Abbasi also issued a nuclear threat against India, asserting that Pakistan's missile arsenal - including Ghori, Shaheen, and Ghaznavi missiles, along with 130 nuclear warheads - exists solely for use against India.

Abbasi further warned that if India attempts to disrupt Pakistan's water supply by suspending the Indus Waters Treaty, it should brace itself for full-scale warfare.

In a late-night press conference, Pakistani minister Ataullah Tarar claimed his country had acquired "credible intelligence" suggesting that India might initiate a military strike within the next 24 to 36 hours.

Tarar, whose X (formerly Twitter) account has been blocked in India, cautioned that any act of aggression would elicit a decisive response, and that India would be held responsible for any grave regional repercussions.

His statements followed PM Modi Modi granting the nation's armed forces "complete operational freedom" to respond to the Pahalgam attack, according to government sources cited by India Today.

Earlier, Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif told Reuters that Indian military action was imminent.

He confirmed Pakistan was on high alert but clarified that nuclear weapons would only be deployed if the nation's survival was directly threatened.

How do India-PAK Armies fare against each other?

Should hostilities escalate, India holds a major advantage in terms of military strength, with its armed forces comprising approximately 1,475,000 personnel-more than twice the size of Pakistan's, according to data from the International Institute for Strategic Studies.

India's defence budget is also vastly superior, standing at an estimated $86 billion last year-over eight times greater than that of its western neighbour-placing it among the top five global military spenders.

However, sheer numbers are not the only consideration. Kashmir's rugged terrain poses a considerable challenge for Indian operations, potentially limiting New Delhi's strategic options.

Another critical factor is the broader regional security landscape. India must also maintain a strong military presence along its border with China, which divides its focus.

Conversely, Pakistan has concentrated its forces more on the Afghan frontier, where militant threats remain frequent.

Harsh Pant, Vice President of the Observer Research Foundation (ORF), told *Bloomberg* that India's dual-border defence obligations present a strategic difficulty: "India's military is larger, but it has the strategic challenges of two borders to defend."

Nuclear capabilities

Both India and Pakistan are estimated to possess roughly 170 nuclear warheads each, according to the Arms Control Association. Both nations continue to develop and refine delivery systems capable of launching long-range attacks deep into enemy territory.

India adheres to a declared policy of "no first use" of nuclear weapons and does not currently possess battlefield tactical nuclear weapons.

Pakistan, by contrast, does not follow a "no first use" doctrine and has developed tactical nuclear capabilities, such as the Nasr (Hatf-9) missile, which has a range of around 70 kilometres (43 miles). This shorter-range missile is intended for use in battlefield scenarios and may be deployed under dire circumstances.

India retains an edge in missile range. Its Agni-V missile, which is land-based and road-mobile, is believed to have a reach of between 5,000 and 8,000 kilometres. Pakistan's Shaheen-3 missile, still under development, is expected to cover around 2,750 kilometres-enough to strike targets across India depending on its launch site.

Weapons procurement

India and Pakistan are among the world's largest arms importers, historically sourcing much of their weaponry from Russia and China.

India, in recent years, has shifted towards procuring arms from the United States, France, and other Western suppliers. It is now the world's largest arms importer, according to data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

India's dependence on Russian weaponry has declined-from 76 per cent of its imports during 2009-2013 to 36 per cent between 2019-2023-as it seeks to modernise its arsenal with equipment from leading Western defence manufacturers.

Pakistan, meanwhile, has increasingly turned to China for its defence needs. Chinese imports made up 82 per cent of Pakistan's total arms acquisitions from 2019 to 2023, a significant rise from 51 per cent during 2009-2012, according to SIPRI data.