Overview
- Pakistan's Foreign Office issued a formal rebuttal to S. Jaishankar's remarks, calling them highly inflammatory, baseless, and irresponsible.
- Jaishankar said in an interview reported by NDTV that many of New Delhi's problems with Islamabad emanated from the Pakistan Army and that ideological hostility comes from the military.
- Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Hussain Andrabi said all national institutions, including the armed forces, are committed to safeguarding sovereignty and territorial integrity.
- The Foreign Office accused India of running a propaganda campaign to distract from destabilising regional actions and alleged state-sponsored terrorism in Pakistan.
- Pakistan urged India to examine the rise of Hindutva linked to mob lynchings, extra-judicial killings, arbitrary arrests, and demolition of places of worship, while reaffirming openness to dialogue alongside readiness to defend national interests.