‘Not for aggression’: Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif plays it down; denies nuclear escalation during Operation Sindoor
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday dismissed any possibility of a nuclear exchange during the recent conflict with India, stating that the country’s nuclear programme is intended for “peaceful purposes and self-defence.”The statement followed a series of “nuclear blackmails” from Pakistan directed at India. In response, New Delhi firmly stated that it would not tolerate such blackmail and would deal with Pakistan bilaterally.When asked about the possibility of using nuclear weapons, Sharif said, “Pakistan’s nuclear programme is solely for peaceful purposes and national defence, not for aggression.”However, after India announced its decision to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty, Pakistan responded declaring that it would respond to any attempt to divert water with “full force across the complete spectrum of national power” – a statement widely interpreted as a veiled nuclear threat.“Pakistan will use full spectrum of power, both conventional and nuclear,” a Pakistani diplomat had said earlier.On May 7, India as its counterterror military action against Pakistan, launched Operation Sindoor, targeting 9 key terror hotspots in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The operation was conducted in response to the April 22 Pahalgam attack, which killed 26 civilians.
