Pakistan says won’t hold back if India attacks or disrupts its water flow

An anti-India protest in Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan-administered Kashmir, on Monday. Pic/AFP

Pakistan will respond with "full spectrum of force", including nuclear, if it is attacked or its vital water flow disrupted, Pakistan's ambassador here warned. Muhammad Khalid Jamali made the comments during an interview with Russia's state-run TASS news agency on Sunday. "We will use the full spectrum of force, both conventional and nuclear," he said.

"Any attempt to usurp the water of the lower riparian, or to stop it, or to divert it would be an act of war against Pakistan and would be responded to with full force, including nuclear," Jajamali said regarding the Indus Water Treaty. The envoy, however, urged de-escalation. "As the two countries are two nuclear powers, there is all the more need to de-escalate the tensions," he said.

When asked whether Pakistan was preparing a formal appeal to Russia to take part in an investigation into the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir that killed 26 people, the ambassador said, "We are open (to it). We want this investigation to be conducted and this blame game to stop. There are incidents from time to time, and without addressing the root causes, Pakistan is blamed for these."

Fateh missile test

Pakistan on Monday conducted a successful training launch of the ‘Fatah series' surface-to-surface missile with a range of 120 km. The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the media wing of the army, said that a ‘Fatah Series' was tested as a part of the ongoing exercise ‘INDUS'. "The launch was aimed at ensuring the operational readiness of troops and validating key technical parameters, including the missile's advanced navigation system and enhanced accuracy," a statement said. The launch was witnessed by senior officers of the Pakistan Army.

UNSE holds discussions

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) was to hold closed door consultations on Monday on the tensions between India and Pakistan, with Pakistan's Permanent Representative to the UN, Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, delivering a statement after the meeting.

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