'Madness and warmongering': ISPR slams Indian army chief’s statements on Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) on Sunday strongly criticised recent remarks by Indian Army Chief Gen Upendra Dwivedi and warned New Delhi against driving South Asia towards another confrontation with what it described as devastating consequences for the region.

In a statement, the military’s media wing said the Indian army chief had made a provocative comment during a recent interview, saying that Pakistan should decide whether it wanted to be part of geography and history.

"Contrary to the delusional and hallucinational belief system and despite the omnipresent ill wishes that prevail in Hindutva-led India, Pakistan is already a country of consequence at global level, a declared nuclear power and an indelible part of South Asia’s geography and history," the ISPR said responding to the remarks.

The statement said the Indian military chief’s comments showed that the Indian leadership had neither come to terms with the existence of Pakistan nor drawn the correct lessons from the past.

According to the ISPR, such rhetoric reflected a mindset shaped by hostility and carried serious implications for regional peace. It cautioned that irresponsible statements of this nature could further inflame tensions in an already fragile environment in South Asia.

The military’s media wing said Pakistan remained a significant state in the region and on the global stage, and rejected the premise of the Indian army chief’s remarks.

Warning over regional stability

In its response, the ISPR warned India against warmongering and said any attempt to push the region towards conflict would have severe consequences. The statement underscored that reckless posturing by Indian leaders risked undermining stability in South Asia.

The response came a day after Gen Dwivedi’s comments, which prompted Pakistan’s military to issue a formal rebuttal. The ISPR framed the remarks as part of a broader pattern of antagonistic messaging from India’s leadership.

It said the persistence of such views in India demonstrated an inability to accept historical realities and the regional order. The statement also linked the remarks to what it described as the prevailing outlook in Hindutva-led India.

Pakistan and India, both nuclear-armed neighbours, have a long history of tensions, and the ISPR’s statement indicated concern that inflammatory language from senior Indian officials could aggravate the situation further.

The military’s media wing did not indicate any change in Pakistan’s position beyond its rejection of the Indian army chief’s comments, but made clear that it viewed the statement as provocative and dangerous in the regional context.

By issuing the response, the ISPR signalled Pakistan’s objection to the remarks and reiterated that the country is an established and consequential part of South Asia’s geography and history.