Pakistan made a freezing nuclear warning to India in the face of growing tensions following last month’s terrorist attack at Pahalgam which claimed 26 lives of Indian civilians. Pakistan’s Ambassador to Russia issued a warning that Islamabad would employ the “full spectrum of power,” including nukes, if India initiates a military operation. This comes after PM Modi has given complete operational autonomy to India’s military to retaliate.
Pakistani ministers have made similar threats based on leaked intelligence and reported Indian intentions of upcoming strikes. India has, in response, suspended the Indus Waters Treaty, cancelled Pakistani visas, and closed its airspace, while Pakistan in turn suspended the Simla Agreement. The crisis now threatens to escalate into a wider conflict, and there are questions regarding Pakistan’s use of nuclear blackmail as a state strategy.
Pakistan Envoy’s Nuclear Warning on Russian TV
Pakistan’s Russian Ambassador, Muhammad Khalid Jamali, directly threatened nuclear retribution in a TV interview on RT. He was referring to “leaked documents” stating that India intends to attack Pakistan and characterized the threat as “imminent.”
PAKISTAN GIVES A NUCLEAR THREAT
‘Pakistan will use the full spectrum of power, both conventional and nuclear’, Pakistan’s ambassador to Russia Jamali amid tension with India after the Pahalgam terror attack by Pakistani terrorists. pic.twitter.com/FzgsdDKhCD
— Sidhant Sibal (@sidhant) May 4, 2025
Muhammad Khalid Jamali asserted Pakistan won’t participate in the argument regarding the size of the military but will react with conventional as well as nuclear force.
‘Our Weapons Are for India’: Previous Warnings from Pak Ministers
This is not Islamabad’s first threat. Top Pakistan minister Hanif Abbasi recently stated that Pakistan’s nuclear capabilities—constituted by Ghori, Shaheen, and Ghaznavi missiles and 130 warheads—are there only for India. He threatened that if India cuts Pakistan’s water supply through the Indus Waters Treaty, it should prepare for war.
During a midnight press briefing, Pakistani minister Ataullah Tarar cautioned that reliable intelligence indicates India may attack within 24 to 36 hours. “Pakistan will act decisively and make India responsible for the consequences in the region,” Tarar stated. Tarar’s official X (previously Twitter) account has been suspended in India.
India’s Strong Response Post-Pahalgam Attack
India has made several steps since the April 22 Pahalgam massacre, when terrorists ambushed non-Muslim tourists in Baisaran valley. They compelled victims to recite the Kalma, and those unable were killed in a gun battle. A total of 26 were killed, among them a Nepali national.
PM Modi, in return, had emergency sessions with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, NSA Ajit Doval, and Army, Navy, and Air Force chiefs. He granted the armed forces a “free hand” to retaliate. India also put on hold the Indus Waters Treaty, revoked visas for Pakistanis, and shut its skies to Pakistani flights.
As a counter, Pakistan abrogated the Simla Agreement, a critical bilateral treaty inked following the 1971 war. India, in turn, de-escalated diplomatic relations and indicated a move towards military aggressiveness.
Nuclear Blackmail as State Policy?
Pakistan’s repeated nuclear bluster is an ominous sign of a new trend in regional stability. This is no longer habitual rhetoric; it is nuclear blackmail as diplomacy. By incessantly mentioning nukes, Islamabad jeopardizes its international credibility and may also trigger a pre-emptive global response.
The crisis has come to a boiling point. While each side was threatening the other and PM Modi had declared that he would track down the Pahalgam assailants, India now carefully considers its next step. But Pakistan’s nuclear threats jacks up the stakes to unseen levels and de-escalation becomes difficult.
