Army warns India of 'cataclysmic devastation' if it triggers fresh round of hostilities

The Pakistan Army has warned India over its provocative and jingoistic statements, cautioning that any fresh round of hostilities would lead to cataclysmic devastation, as Pakistan would not hold back and would respond without hesitation.

“We caution that a future conflict might lead to cataclysmic devastation. In case a fresh round of hostilities is triggered, Pakistan will not hold back. We shall resolutely respond without qualms or restraint,” said the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) on Saturday.

The statement from the ISPR comes a day after Indian Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi threatened to “erase Pakistan from the map of the world”, warning that Indian forces would “not show any restraint this time,” in what appeared to be a thinly veiled hint at another military incursion.

Indian Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh also made a similar provocative statement, claiming that India had downed five Pakistani fighter jets—of the F-16 and JF-17 class—during clashes between the two nuclear-armed neighbours in May.

“As far as the air defence part is concerned, we have evidence of one long-range strike, along with five high-tech fighters—between the F-16 and JF-17 class—our system tells us,” Singh said during the Air Force’s annual press conference on Friday.

The ISPR, in a statement, said that the Army has noted with grave concern the delusional, provocative and jingoistic remarks coming from the highest levels of the Indian security establishment. “These irresponsible statements indicate a renewed attempt to fabricate arbitrary pretexts for aggression — a prospect that could have serious consequences for peace and stability in South Asia,” it said.

For decades, India has benefited from portraying itself as the victim and painting Pakistan in a negative light while allegedly stoking violence and perpetrating terrorism in South Asia and beyond. That narrative, the statement said, has been sufficiently debunked, and the world now recognises India as the true face of cross-border terrorism and the epicentre of regional instability.

The ISPR said, earlier this year, Indian aggression against Pakistan brought two nuclear powers to the brink of a major war. However, India seems to have forgotten the wreckage of its fighter jets and the reach of Pakistan’s long-range vectors. Suffering from collective amnesia, India now appears to be seeking the next round of confrontation.

The statement warned that those attempting to establish a ‘new normal’ should know Pakistan has established its own new normal of response, which will be swift, decisive and destructive. “In the face of unwarranted threats and reckless aggression, the people and the Armed Forces of Pakistan have the capability and resolve to take the fight to every nook and corner of the enemy’s territory.”

“This time we shall shatter the myth of geographic immunity, hitting the farthest reaches of Indian territory,” the statement said. “As for talk of erasing Pakistan from the map, India must know that, if such a situation arises, the erasure will be on both sides of the border.”

Defence minister refutes IAF chief’s claim

In August, three months after the conflict, Indian Air Chief Marshal A.P. Singh, speaking at an event in the southern Indian city of Bengaluru, claimed that most of the Pakistani aircraft were downed by India’s Russian-made S-400 surface-to-air missile system. He cited electronic tracking data as confirmation of the strikes.

“We have at least five fighters confirmed destroyed, and one large aircraft,” he said, adding that the larger aircraft, which could have been a surveillance plane, was shot down at a distance of 300 km (186 miles).

Singh did not specify the type of fighter jets that were downed but said that the airstrikes also hit another surveillance plane and “a few F-16” fighters that were parked in hangars at two air bases in Pakistan.

Responding to the Indian air chief, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif strongly rejected claims by the Indian Air Force chief that India had shot down six Pakistani fighter jets during a conflict in May, calling the assertions “implausible” and “ill-timed.”

“The belated assertions made by the Indian air force chief regarding alleged destruction of Pakistani aircraft during Operation Sindoor are as implausible as they are ill-timed,” Asif said in a statement.

Asif noted that for three months after the conflict, no such claims were made. He said Pakistan had presented “detailed technical briefings” to the international media immediately after the incident, while independent observers acknowledged the loss of multiple Indian aircraft, including Rafales.

These acknowledgements, he said, came from “world leaders, senior Indian politicians to foreign intelligence assessments.”

The minister insisted that “not a single Pakistani aircraft was hit or destroyed by India,” saying instead that Pakistan had destroyed six Indian jets, S-400 air defence batteries and unmanned aircraft, while disabling several Indian airbases. He said losses for Indian forces along the Line of Control were “disproportionately heavier.”

“If the truth is in question, let both sides open their aircraft inventories to independent verification—though we suspect this would lay bare the reality India seeks to obscure,” Asif said.

Pakistan-India Recent Conflict

The latest escalation between Pakistan and India began on April 22, when an attack in Pahalgam killed 26 people. India immediately blamed Pakistan for the incident. However, Pakistan categorically rejected the Indian blame.

In response, India undertook a series of hostile actions the next day on April 23, including suspending the 65-year-old Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), cancelling visas for Pakistani citizens, closing the Wagah-Attari border crossing, ordering the shutdown of the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi, and reducing diplomatic staff at each other's embassies.

Tensions further escalated in the early hours of May 7, when missile strikes hit six cities in Punjab and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), destroying a mosque and killing dozens of civilians, including women, children, and the elderly.

Read More: French intelligence official confirms downing of Rafale by Pakistan

In a swift military response, Pakistan’s armed forces shot down Indian warplanes, including three Rafale jets. The confrontation intensified again in the early hours of May 10, when India targeted several Pakistani airbases with missile strikes. In retaliation, Pakistan launched Operation Bunyanum Marsoos, damaging Indian military installations, including missile storage sites, airbases, and other strategic targets.

Later, US President Donald Trump announced that a ceasefire had been reached following intense diplomatic efforts overnight. Minutes later, the agreement was confirmed separately by Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and the Indian foreign secretary.