New Delhi (Sputnik) — Witnessing escalating Indian rhetoric in its ongoing parliamentary elections, the Pakistan Army on Monday sought to clarify and convey to India that it would not hesitate to use its full might if a nuclear attack was attempted as an alternative.
"In your [Indian] rhetoric, you keep using nuclear power as a threat. Nuclear powers are not a threat, they are a weapon of deterrence that should not be mentioned lightly…Do not test our resolve", Pakistan's Armed Forces' chief spokesperson Major General Asif Ghafoor said.
The Pakistani military's latest reactions came against the backdrop of a statement by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi made during the ongoing poll in the parliamentary elections. Earlier this week, Modi said that India was no longer afraid of the nuclear threats by Pakistan.
READ MORE: Pakistan Says Modi's Nuclear Threat Disregards Strategic Stability in South Asia
"India has stopped getting scared of Pakistan's threats. I have done right, no? Else every other day they (Pakistan) used to say 'we have [a] nuclear button'….What do we have then? Have we kept it (nuclear button) for Diwali (India's light festival)?" the Indian prime minister recently stated.
Pakistan termed it "highly unfortunate", saying that such nuclear brinkmanship should be discouraged.
"Two months have passed since and India has told countless lies on the matter. We have not responded to the lies, not because we can't, but because we don't want to retaliate", the Ghafoor said.
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"We have not retaliated because we want peace…we asked you (India) to ask America about our F-16s' strength. In this day and age, hiding the downing of a plane is impossible. In this time, even if a motorcycle crashes the world finds out", the spokesperson added.
The tensions between the two nuclear armed neighbours rose to an unprecedented level following a terrorist attack by the Jaish-e-Muhammed terrorist organisation on an Indian security personnel convoy on 14 February, killing 40 Indian troops in Jammu and Kashmir. India launched air strikes on 26 February in Pakistan's Balakot area, targeting terror camps to avenge the attack.