Singh’s comments came days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi said India would not tolerate “nuclear blackmail” by Pakistan and would punish cross-border terrorism strongly.
In a statement, Foreign Office spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan Thursday said these “irresponsible remarks reveal his profound insecurity and frustration” regarding Pakistan’s effective defence.
“Pakistan’s conventional capabilities are adequate to deter India, without the self-imposed ‘nuclear blackmail’ that New Delhi suffers,” Khan said.
“The comments of India’s Defence Minister also show his sheer ignorance of the mandate and responsibilities of a specialised agency of the United Nations like the IAEA,” the spokesperson said. PTI SH ZH ZH