'Dangerous precedent': Pakistan on PM Modi's new red line on terror, cries foul over IWT suspension

Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday issued a statement, rejecting what it termed “provocative and inflammatory assertions” made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, in his first address to the nation since the Indian Armed Forces carried out retaliatory strikes in Pakistan. However, the timing and tone of the statement — filled with unsubstantiated counter-claims and recycled talking points — appear less like a genuine diplomatic response and more like a desperate attempt to regain narrative control in the face of mounting international isolation.

The statement mentioned that Islamabad “remains committed to the recent ceasefire understanding and taking necessary steps towards regional stability."

Further crying foul on the fact that Pakistan's DGMO reached out to his Indian counterpart for ceasefire, the statement said: "The portrayal of Pakistan as seeking a ceasefire in "despair and frustration" ie yet another blatant lie."

The statement’s mention of India’s suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) and its reiteration of support for “President Trump’s efforts” to resolve the Kashmir dispute also point to Pakistan’s discomfort with shifting geopolitical equations.

While Pakistan accuses India of breaching binding agreements like the IWT, New Delhi has maintained that its move was lawful, driven by national interest, and within its rights.

India’s new counter-terror doctrine — as laid out by PM Modi — has clearly rattled Pakistan. By asserting that nuclear blackmail will no longer restrain India from taking decisive action against terrorist threats, New Delhi has redefined the rules of engagement in South Asia.

The Pakistani response, calling India’s actions an “irresponsible brinkmanship” and warning of escalation, attempts to reinvoke the nuclear threat — a tactic that is increasingly falling flat among the global community, which is growing tired of Pakistan’s habitual use of its nuclear arsenal as a diplomatic shield for terror proxies.

In his first address to the nation after Operation Sindoor, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday sternly warned Pakistan that India will not succumb to nuclear blackmail and sent a clear message to the world: terror and trade, terror and talks cannot go together.

"Operation Sindoor is India's new policy against terrorism and our unwavering pledge for justice. It is the new normal. We have only kept in abeyance our operations against Pakistan and the future will depend on their behaviour," Modi said in a 22-minute address.

He also had an advice to Pakistan’s rulers: "The terrorists they have been feeding and nurturing all these years will swallow Pakistan itself. If Pakistan wants to survive, it will have to root out terrorism." India will not differentiate between the government sponsoring terrorism and terrorists, Modi said, warning of decisive action in case of any misadventure.

"This is not an era of war, but this is not the era of terror either," Modi said, as he paid glowing tributes to the armed forces for successfully forcing Pakistan to plead for peace after eight of their airbases were heavily damaged.

"Any talks with Pakistan can happen only on terrorism and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir," the prime minister said.

PM Modi's assertions about not doing trade with Pakistan came minutes after US President Donald Trump said that he told India and Pakistan that his administration will do trade with them only if they end the conflict.

Trump also suggested that the conflict between the two countries could have spiralled into a nuclear war, killing millions of people.

PM Modi said that while Pakistan pleaded with India to stop the military offensive, New Delhi considered it only after they promised to stop their misadventure.