Published: 12:33 AM, 18 May 2026
Pak ISPR condemns Indian army chief's remarks questioning Pakistan's place in 'geography and history'
Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir, Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Babar Sidhu and Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Naveed Ashraf attend a ceremony at GHQ in Rawalpindi marking the completion of one year of Pakistan's victory in Marka-e-Haq. -ISPR
The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) of Pakistan on Sunday condemned remarks by the Indian army chief during a recent interview, in which he stated that "Pakistan should decide if it desired to be part of geography and history".
In a statement, ISPR said the Indian army chief had made a "provocative statement" during a recent interview, reports The Express Tribune.
The military's media wing said that, "Contrary to the delusional and hallucinational belief system and despite the omnipresent ill wishes that prevail in Hindutva-led India, Pakistan is already a country of consequence at the global level, a declared nuclear power and an indelible part of South Asia's geography and history".
"The statement reflected that the Indian leadership has neither been able to reconcile with the very idea of Pakistan nor it has learnt the right lessons, even after the passage of eight decades," the statement said.
ISPR said the "hubristic, jingoistic and myopic mindset had repeatedly pushed South Asia towards wars and crises".
"Threatening a sovereign nuclear neighbour with elimination from geography is not strategic signalling or brinkmanship; it is sheer bankruptcy of cognitive capacities, madness and warmongering despite knowing the reality that such geographic obliteration would certainly be mutual and comprehensive," the statement said.
"Responsible nuclear states reflect restraint, maturity, and strategic sobriety. They do not speak the language of civilisational supremacy or national erasure," it said.
The statement further said the "Indian narrative conveniently ignored India's own historically documented record of being a harbinger of terrorism in the region, a state sponsor of terrorism, a key source of regional instability, a practitioner of transnational assassinations and a hotbed of disinformation campaign across the globe".
According to ISPR, "Delhi's aggressive posturing stems less from confidence and more from frustration at its inability to harm Pakistan, that has been brutally exposed during Marka-e-Haq".
The term "Marka-e-Haq" refers to the 2025 conflict with India, which beganwith the April 22 Pahalgam attack and concluded with a ceasefire on May 10 following Operation Bunyanum Marsoos.
The military's media wing said, "Indian leadership would be well advised not to attempt to push South Asia towards another crisis or war whose consequences would only be devastating for the complete region and beyond".
"India needs to reconcile with Pakistan's salience and learn to co-exist with it peacefully," the statement said.
ISPR warned that "any attempt to target Pakistan can trigger consequences that shall neither be geographically confined nor strategically or politically palatable for India".
