Pakistan has condemned the provocative remarks of Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, in Drass, Ladakh, boasting readiness to cross the Line of Control and reminded the Indian leadership that it was fully capable of defending against any aggression.

In a statement Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said we counsel India to exercise utmost caution as its belligerent rhetoric is a threat to the regional peace and stability, and contributes to destabilizing the strategic environment in South Asia.

She said this is not the first time that India’s political leaders and senior military officers have made highly irresponsible remarks about Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.

The spokesperson said this kind of jingoistic statements must stop. The Indian leadership is reminded that Pakistan is fully capable of defending itself against any aggression.

The spokesperson further said that the practice of dragging Pakistan into India’s populist public discourse, with a view to stoking hyper-nationalism and reaping electoral gains, needed to end.