PM Modi on Pakistan’s Nuclear Threat: “We Won’t Fall for Blackmail”

In his address to the nation on the 79th Independence Day from the Red Fort on Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised the success of 'Operation Sindoor' and lauded the role of India’s armed forces in striking terror targets across the border in Pakistan.

Recalling the Pahalgam terror attack, PM Modi said the operation was an expression of the nation’s outrage.

“On 22nd April, terrorists from across the border came to Pahalgam and killed people after asking their religion...Entire India was outraged, and the entire world was shocked by such a massacre. Operation Sindoor is the expression of that outrage,” he said.

“I am very proud that from the ramparts of the Red Fort, I am getting the opportunity to salute the heroes of Operation Sindoor. Our brave jawans punished the enemy beyond its imagination,” the Prime Minister added.

He further detailed the government’s response to the attack, saying a free hand had been given to the armed forces. “After the 22nd, we gave a free hand to our armed forces. They decide the strategy, target and time. Our Forces did what had never been done for several decades. We entered hundreds of kilometres into the enemy soil and razed their terrorist headquarters to the ground...Destruction in Pakistan is so massive that new revelations are being made every day, and new information is coming out daily,” he said.

The Prime Minister also sent a stern warning to Pakistan, stressing that India will not differentiate between terrorists and those who shelter them. “If the enemy dares to commit any more misadventure, the Indian Armed Forces will give them a befitting reply. We have now set a new normal. Terrorists and those who shelter them will not be seen separately. They are an equal danger to humanity with no difference,” he said.

"India has decided that it will not tolerate nuclear threats anymore, we won't fall for any blackmail," the Prime Minister said.

Turning to the Indus Water Treaty, PM Modi criticized it as unjust and “one sided,” asserting India’s rights over its share of river waters. “The rivers of India were irrigating the enemy country while our farmers were deprived of water. Now, the right over India's share of water belongs only to India and its farmers. A compromise on farmers' interests and national interests is not acceptable to us. India has decided that blood and water will not flow together. Our country has been bearing the pain of terrorism for many decades,” he stated.

When Pak Army Chief Issued a Nuclear Threat To India, and to the World

Recently, Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, had issued a stark nuclear warning against India, and even the wider world, during his ongoing visit to the United States.

Speaking at a private black-tie dinner in Tampa hosted for businessman Adnan Asad, Munir said that if Pakistan were ever pushed to the brink in a conflict with India, it would “take half the world down” with it.

According to ThePrint, Munir declared that Pakistan is a nuclear power and would use its arsenal if necessary. He also issued a direct threat to any future Indian dams on the Indus River, warning that India’s suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty could put hundreds of millions at risk of starvation.

“We will wait for India to build a dam, and when it does so, 10 missiles se faarigh kar denge (we will destroy it with 10 missiles),” Munir reportedly said, adding, “Humein missilon ki kami nahi hai, al-Hamdulillah (we don’t have a missile shortage, Praise be to God).”

The dinner, where phones and recording devices were banned, saw the Pakistani army chief openly criticising India’s decision to put the decades-old Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance after the recent Pahalgam terror attack. Munir claimed the move could place 250 million people at risk of starvation.

Raking up past tensions, Munir said, “Ek tweet karwaya tha with Surah Fil and a picture of (the industrialist) Mukesh Ambani to show them what we will do the next time.” Surah Al-Fil, the 105th chapter of the Quran, tells the story of the “People of the Elephant” and how Allah protected the Ka’aba in Mecca from attack.

“We’ll start from India’s East, where they have located their most valuable resources, and then move westwards,” he warned. Using a vivid analogy, Munir said, “India is a shining Mercedes coming on a highway like Ferrari, but we are a dump truck full of gravel. If the truck hits the car, who is going to be the loser?”

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