Pak threatens nuclear response if India attacks or disrupts water flow
Moscow(PTI): Pakistan will respond with "full spectrum of force", including nuclear, if it is attacked or its vital water flow disrupted, Pakistan's ambassador here has warned amid tensions between New Delhi and Islamabad after the Pahalgam terror attack.
Muhammad Khalid Jamali made the comments during an interview with Russia's state-run TASS news agency on Sunday.
Warning that Pakistan was prepared to respond to any aggression, the ambassador said, “We in Pakistan will use the full spectrum of force, both conventional and nuclear.”
Ties between India and Pakistan plummeted following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir that killed 26 people, mostly tourists.
Jajamali reiterated Islamabad’s position regarding the Indus Water Treaty, a key agreement between India and Pakistan, which New Delhi suspended last week as a part of its diplomatic response to the terror attack.
“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,” he said.
The envoy, however, urged de-escalation, noting the potential danger given that both countries possess nuclear weapons.
“As the two countries are two nuclear powers, there is all the more need to de-escalate the tensions,” he said.
Pakistan earlier called for “neutral and credible investigations” into the Kashmir attack. “I think the role of the international community comes in. And in this regard, we expect that powers like China and Russia can participate in those investigations,” Jajamali said.
"I believe that the root cause of the problem in Jammu and Kashmir is the right to self-determination for the Kashmiri people, which was promised to them by the international community through various UN Security Council resolutions," he claimed.
"This needs to be addressed for a permanent, sustainable and durable peace," he added.
When asked whether Pakistan was preparing a formal appeal to Russia to take part in the investigation into the terrorist attack, 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 this.”
He said Moscow has pointed at the need to address the "root causes" in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
"Similarly, when political disputes fester for a long time, resentment arises and such incidents are likely to occur. It's always very easy to blame and make someone a scapegoat," he said.
Late Sunday evening, Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar held a telephone conversation with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov seeking Moscow's help in de-escalating tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.
Following the Pahalgam attack, India, among other punitive actions, announced the suspension of the 1960 Indus Accord, which governs water sharing between the two countries.
Earlier on April 24, Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed to punish the terrorists involved in the terror attack and their backers.
In a high-level meeting with the top defence brass on April 29, Modi asserted that the armed forces have “complete operational freedom” to decide on the mode, targets and timing of India’s response to the terror attack, according to government sources.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Cong takes swipe at PM over India not being part of US-led 'Pax Silica' grouping
New Delh (PTI) The Congress on Saturday said it is perhaps not very surprising that India is not part of a US-led strategic initiative to build a secure silicon supply chain, given the "sharp downturn" in the Trump-Modi ties, and asserted that it would have been to "our advantage if we had been part of this group".
Congress general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the news of India not being part of the group comes after the PM had enthusiastically posted on social media about a telephone call with his "once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC".
In a lengthy post on X, Ramesh said, "According to some news reports, the US has excluded India from a nine-nation initiative it has launched to reduce Chinese control on high-tech supply chains. The agreement is called Pax Silica, clearly as a counter to Pax Sinica. The nations included (for the moment at least) are the US, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia."
"Given the sharp downturn in the Trump-Modi ties since May 10th, 2025, it is perhaps not very surprising that India has not been included. Undoubtedly, it would have been to our advantage if we had been part of this group."
"This news comes a day after the PM had enthusiastically posted on his telephone call with his once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC," the Congress leader asserted.
The new US-led strategic initiative, rooted in deep cooperation with trusted allies, has been launched to build a secure and innovation-driven silicon supply chain.
According to the US State Department, the initiative called 'Pax Silica' aims to reduce coercive dependencies, protect the materials and capabilities foundational to artificial intelligence (AI), and ensure aligned nations can develop and deploy transformative technologies at scale.
The initiative includes Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia. With the exception of India, all other QUAD countries -- Japan, Australia and the US -- are part of the new initiative.
New Delhi will host the India-AI Impact Summit 2026 on February 19-20, focusing on the principles of 'People, Planet, and Progress'. The summit, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the France AI Action Summit, will be the first-ever global AI summit hosted in the Global South.
Prime Minister Modi and US President Trump on Thursday discussed ways to sustain momentum in the bilateral economic partnership in a phone conversation amid signs of the two sides inching closer to firming up a much-awaited trade deal.
The phone call between the two leaders came on a day Indian and American negotiators concluded two-day talks on the proposed bilateral trade agreement that is expected to provide relief to India from the Trump administration's whopping 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods.
In a social media post, Modi had described the conversation as "warm and engaging".
"We reviewed the progress in our bilateral relations and discussed regional and international developments. India and the US will continue to work together for global peace, stability and prosperity," Modi had said without making any reference to trade ties.
