India warns Pakistan of ‘painful consequences’ after Asim Munir’s nuclear threats from US soil

At the Ministry of External Affairs’ weekly media briefing, spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal referred to recent reports of “war-mongering” by Pakistan, saying:“Pakistan would be well-advised to temper its rhetoric as any misadventure will have painful consequences, as was demonstrated recently.”

He also accused Pakistan of stoking “anti-India” sentiment to “hide their own failures.”

Pakistan army chief’s nuclear threat from US soil

The warning followed Pakistani Army Chief Asim Munir’s unprecedented nuclear threat to India during a visit to the United States — reportedly the first such threat ever delivered from US soil against a third country.

“We are a nuclear nation. If we think we are going down, we’ll take half the world down with us,” Munir said, according to reports.

Munir also vowed to destroy India’s infrastructure on the Indus water channels, warning that the resource was not “Indians’ family property.”

He claimed that India’s decision to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty after the April Pahalgam terror attack could endanger 250 million people with starvation.

“We will wait for India to build a dam, and when it does so, phir das missile sey faarigh kar dengey [we will destroy it with 10 missiles]... The Indus River is not the Indians’ family property. Humein missilon ki kami nahin hai, al-hamdulillah [we have no shortage of missiles, Praise be to God],” Munir reportedly declared.

Bilawal Bhutto plays broken record: 'Unite against India'

Former Pakistani foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto also escalated rhetoric, accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government of inflicting “great damage” on Pakistan.

Speaking at a Sindh government culture department event, he urged Pakistanis to close ranks: “The actions of the Indian government, under the leadership of Narendra Modi, have caused great damage to Pakistan. It is necessary that we, as a united people, stand together against PM Modi and these aggressions.”

Bhutto claimed that if India continued to suspend the treaty, Pakistan would have “no choice” but to contemplate war to reclaim its rivers.

“You people (Pakistanis) are strong enough for war to get back all six rivers. If India continues on this path, it leaves us with no choice except to consider all options, including the possibility of war, to protect our national interests.”

He warned that such a conflict would end in India’s defeat: “We did not start the war. But if you think of carrying out an attack like Sindoor, then know that the people of every province of Pakistan are ready to fight you — and this is a war that you will definitely lose. We won’t bow down.”

Sharif barks warning, India dismisses Pakistan’s claims

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif joined the war of words, warning India against keeping the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance.

“I want to tell the enemy today that if you threaten to hold our water, then keep this in mind — you cannot snatch even one drop of Pakistan.”

He vowed that India would be “taught a lesson” and “will be left holding ears” if it tried.

Pakistan recently welcomed a decision by the Permanent Court of Arbitration on design norms for India’s planned run-of-river hydropower projects on the Western Rivers — Chenab, Jhelum and Indus — claiming it vindicated its stance on the treaty.

India rejects Permanent Court of Arbitration’s jurisdiction

However, India, through Jaiswal’s briefing, dismissed both the court’s authority and Pakistan’s interpretation: “Its pronouncements are, therefore, without jurisdiction, devoid of legal standing, and have no bearing on India’s rights to utilise the waters. India also categorically rejects Pakistan’s selective and misleading references to the so-called ‘award.’”

Reiterating its sovereign stance, the Ministry said the Indus Waters Treaty remains suspended: “As reiterated in our press release dated 27 June 2025, the Indus Waters Treaty stands in abeyance by a sovereign decision of the Government of India, taken in response to Pakistan’s continued sponsorship of cross-border terrorism, including the barbaric Pahalgam attack.”