New Delhi/Tampa: Escalating tensions yet again, Pakistan Army Chief General Asim Munir has threatened to target Reliance Industries Limited’s mega oil refinery in Jamnagar, Gujarat — owned by billionaire Mukesh Ambani — while reiterating Islamabad’s willingness to unleash nuclear weapons in a future war with India.
Speaking at a formal dinner in Tampa, Florida, Munir cited a recent social media post showing Ambani’s picture alongside a Quranic verse, claiming he had personally authorised it during the last India–Pakistan confrontation “to show them what we will do the next time.”
The Pakistani general further vowed to “defend the country’s water rights at all costs” if India proceeds with dam construction on the Indus River. He warned that Pakistan would not hesitate to “plunge the region into nuclear conflict” if it faced an existential threat, declaring: “We are a nuclear nation. If we think we are going down, we’ll take half the world down with us.”
India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) sharply condemned the remarks, dismissing them as “nuclear sabre-rattling” — a tactic it described as Pakistan’s “stock-in-trade.” In a strongly worded statement, the MEA said:
“The international community can draw its own conclusions on the irresponsibility inherent in such remarks, which reinforce doubts about the integrity of nuclear command and control in a state where the military works hand-in-glove with terrorist groups. It is also regrettable that these statements were made from the soil of a friendly third country.”
Reiterating New Delhi’s stance, the MEA stressed that India “will not give in to nuclear blackmail” and will continue to take “all necessary steps” to safeguard national security.
