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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s military said on Saturday India was trying to invent reasons for renewed aggression, issuing a strongly worded statement in response to hostile statements from New Delhi this week and warning Pakistan would not hold back and would “hit the farthest reaches” of the neighboring state if fresh clashes erupt.

India targeted several sites in Pakistan earlier this year after a militant attack in the disputed Kashmir region which it blamed on Islamabad, despite Pakistan’s denial of involvement and its call for an international probe. The escalation between the two nuclear-armed neighbors triggered intense missile, drone and artillery exchanges before a US-brokered ceasefire was announced on May 10.

Pakistan said it shot down six Indian fighter jets, including French-made Rafales, with New Delhi acknowledging some losses but disputing the number. Earlier this week, Indian Air Force Chief Amar Preet Singh claimed his forces had downed five Pakistani fighter planes, while Indian Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi accused Islamabad of “terrorism” and warned that India would strike so hard that its rival would “lose a place in history and geography.”

Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh also alleged Pakistan had engaged in a military buildup near a sensitive border area, saying “a route to Karachi passes through Sir Creek.”

“We have noted with grave concern the delusional, provocative and jingoistic statements coming from the highest levels of the Indian security establishment,” the military’s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), said in a statement. “These irresponsible statements indicate a renewed attempt at fabricating arbitrary pretexts for aggression — a prospect which might lead to serious consequences for peace and stability in South Asia.”

“In the face of highly provocative statements of the Indian Defense Minister and its Army and Air Chiefs, we caution that a future conflict might lead to cataclysmic devastation,” it added. “In case a fresh round of hostilities is triggered, Pakistan shall not hold back. We shall resolutely respond, without any qualms or restraint.”

The statement accused India of “stoking violence” and “perpetrating terrorism” in the region — allegations New Delhi has previously denied — and said the world now recognized it as “the epicenter of regional instability.”

ISPR further warned Pakistan would strike deep inside India if attacked again.

“This time we shall shatter the myth of geographic immunity, hitting the farthest reaches of the Indian territory,” it said. “As for the talk of erasing Pakistan from the map, India must know that if the situation comes, the erasure will be mutual.”

The two South Asian rivals have fought three full-scale wars and numerous border skirmishes since their independence from Britain in 1947.

Any escalating rhetoric from both sides risks destabilizing the ceasefire and undermining diplomatic efforts to maintain calm. 

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and ����ֱ�� on Saturday discussed ongoing efforts for a durable ceasefire in Gaza after Hamas accepted parts of a peace plan proposed by US President Donald Trump, with both countries pledging to stay engaged with other Muslim nations on the issue.

Trump unveiled his 20-point plan last month to end the two-year war in Gaza after consulting leaders of eight Arab-Islamic nations in New York and holding a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The plan called for an immediate ceasefire in the Palestinian territory, the return of all Israeli hostages within a specified period and a phased Israeli withdrawal from the area. It also proposed Hamas’s disarmament and exclusion from governance, with Gaza to be run by a temporary technocratic Palestinian committee overseen by an international “Board of Peace” chaired by Trump.

Hamas said it was willing to accept some elements of the deal, though it noted there were aspects of the plan requiring further consultations among Palestinians. The US president subsequently ordered Israel to stop bombing Gaza while welcoming Hamas’s statement.

Pakistan and ����ֱ�� discussed the situation in a phone call between Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, according to an official statement.

“The two leaders discussed regional developments, particularly the situation in Gaza,” Pakistan’s foreign office said in a social media post. “They reviewed ongoing diplomatic efforts, including engagements and consultations among the eight Arab-Islamic countries and the United States in New York, aimed at achieving an immediate and durable ceasefire, ensuring unhindered humanitarian assistance and securing lasting peace in Gaza.”

“Both Ministers reaffirmed their firm commitment to the Palestinian cause and agreed to remain closely engaged with Arab and Islamic partners, as well as the international community, to advance a just, comprehensive, and lasting peace based on the two-state solution,” it added.

The war in Gaza started after Hamas’s attack on Southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, which left around 1,200 people dead, while 251 others were taken hostage. The group described the attack in response to the deteriorating condition of Palestinian people living under Israeli occupation.

Israel’s retaliatory military offensive in Gaza has so far killed over 67,000 people, mostly women and children, and wounded nearly 170,000 others.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said earlier in the day Hamas’s acceptance of parts of Trump’s plan had increased the chances of a ceasefire in Gaza, pledging Islamabad’s continued support for everlasting peace in Palestine.

Media reports said Israel’s army had also started preparing for the first phase of Trump’s plan following Washington’s directive for a halt to airstrikes.

Pakistan and ����ֱ�� have stepped up high-level consultations on regional developments after signing a bilateral defense pact last month, formalizing their decades-long security partnership to strengthen joint deterrence by pledging to treat aggression against one country as an attack on both.