ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has strongly condemned recent remarks by India’s Defence Minister on the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, calling them provocative and irresponsible.
The Indian Defence Minister. it may be recalled, had said on July 26 that there would be no talks with Pakistan except on what he called “PoK” (Pakistan-occupied Kashmir), describing it as “a part of India illegally occupied” by Pakistan. “There will be no talks with Pakistan. If any talks happen, that will be on PoK,” he said.
د هند د دفاع وزیر راجنات سنګ ویلي، هند د معلوماتي مرکزونو په جوړولو او د ټکنالوژۍ په پراختیا تمرکز کړی، خو پاکستان د افراطیت او توندلارۍ د مرکزونو په جوړولو بوخت دی. pic.twitter.com/wLY47yVqBT
— Rohullah Parwani (@rohullahparwan1) July 26, 2026
He also accused Pakistan of making terrorism a matter of state policy, alleging that the distinction between Pakistan’s military and militant groups “has vanished” and claiming that Pakistan’s military shelters and works with terrorist organisations.
Referring to Operation Sindoor — India’s earlier military response to a terror attack — he said the operation demonstrated that India no longer differentiates between terrorists and the governments he said nurture them.
He further warned that any future Pakistani “misadventure” or perceived threat to India’s sovereignty would be met with a response “far beyond its imagination,” citing Operation Sindoor as evidence of India’s capability and resolve.
Drawing a contrast between the two countries, he said India’s focus lies in innovation, technology, ship design, semiconductors, startups, space missions, software and digital payment systems such as UPI, while characterizing Pakistan’s focus as centered on infiltration, “terror design,” suicide bombers, radicalisation centres and proxy operations.
Pakistan’s response
In a statement issued Monday, Pakistan’s Foreign Office said the Indian minister’s comments distort facts regarding the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, which remains on the agenda of the United Nations Security Council. It further alleged that the remarks reflect a deliberate policy by the Indian government to threaten regional and international peace and security.
The Foreign Office claimed the statement was intended to divert attention from what it described as India’s continued occupation of Jammu and Kashmir, its alleged sponsorship of terrorism in the region, and domestic challenges within India. It also referenced last year’s military standoff between the two countries, referred to in Pakistan as “Operation Bunyan-ul-Marsoos,” asserting the resolve of the Pakistani nation and its armed forces to respond to what it termed Indian “adventurism.”
Islamabad called on the international community, particularly the United Nations, to take note of India’s conduct and to hold it accountable for what it characterized as a failure to implement relevant UN Security Council resolutions guaranteeing the right to self-determination to the Kashmiri people.
It is pertinent to mention here that the exchange marks the latest escalation in rhetoric between the two nuclear-armed neighbors, whose relations remain strained following last year’s military confrontation.
The Kashmir dispute has remained a longstanding source of tension since 1947, with both countries administering separate portions of the territory while claiming it in full. Neither side’s specific allegations — regarding territorial control, sponsorship of terrorism, or military capability — have been independently verified.
