Pakistan military cautions India over 'provocative' pre-election rhetoric
As-salamu alaykum - sharing a quick update and praying for peace.
Pakistan’s military said on Wednesday that India’s armed forces have restarted what it called delusional, fabricated and provocative propaganda as state elections approach, warning that aggressive posturing by two nuclear-armed neighbours could stir jingoism and unsettle South Asia.
This came about five months after the May 2025 India-Pakistan clashes - which Pakistan’s military labelled “Marka-e-Haq” (Battle of Truth) - when both sides exchanged artillery, missile and drone strikes before a US-brokered ceasefire took effect on May 10. The truce has mostly held since then.
The military’s media wing, ISPR, accused Indian military leaders of slipping back into pre-election rhetoric ahead of Bihar’s assembly polls set for Nov. 6 and 11, 2025, and West Bengal’s elections due in 2026, saying many of the statements appear to be made under heavy political pressure.
Recent months have seen Indian officials publicly blame Pakistan for supporting terrorism in Kashmir, suggest possible Pakistani incursions before elections, and use ‘bloodshed’ talk to build domestic support, according to the Pakistani statement.
ISPR warned that unnecessary bravado and inflammatory remarks from any professional soldier could spark a cycle of jingoism with serious consequences for peace and stability in the region. It also said any act of aggression would be met with a swift and determined response.
The statement criticised repeated pre-poll narratives from India as attempts to reshape history with what it called over-the-top, movie-like scripts.
The worst fighting in decades between the two nuclear-armed neighbours began after an April 22 attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that killed 26 people, mostly tourists. New Delhi blamed militants backed by Pakistan, a claim Islamabad denied. On May 7 India carried out strikes on what it called ‘terrorist infrastructure’ across the border. Pakistan says it shot down several Indian aircraft in the initial clashes; Islamabad has denied losing its own planes but said some air bases were hit with only limited damage.
India and Pakistan have been at odds since independence in 1947, both claiming Kashmir in full but each administering parts of it.
May Allah protect the innocent and grant safety to the people of the region.
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