Pakistan rejects ‘baseless' Indian media reports of deploying nuclear-capable missile
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's foreign office spokesperson on Monday rejected 'baseless' reports by the Indian media which claimed Islamabad had deployed its nuclear-capable 'Shaheen' missile against India in the recent conflict between the two countries.
India and Pakistan were involved in the worst fighting between the two nuclear-armed neighbors since 1999 earlier this month. Both Pakistan and India struck each other with missiles, fighter jets, drones and artillery fire for four days before US President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire on May 10.
The Indian Army shared a video on Twitter on Sunday purportedly showing the use of Pakistan's Shaheen missile. The video was picked up by several Indian media outlets, such as NDTV and News Arena India.
The Indian Army, however, deleted the video from its Twitter account upon realizing 'the claim was unsubstantiated,' Pakistan's foreign office said.
'The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has firmly rejected the unfounded allegations circulating in certain segments of the Indian media, which falsely claim that Pakistan employed the Shaheen missile during Operation Bunyanun Marsoos (BM),' the foreign office spokesperson said.
He said some Indian outlets have continued to propagate the 'misinformation,' noting that the Indian Army has not offered any clarification or retraction on the matter.
'Analysts observe that such disinformation campaigns are part of a deliberate attempt to obscure India's setbacks in Operation Sindoor, which were a result of Pakistan's demonstrated conventional military capabilities,' it said.
'Additionally, these fabricated stories align with New Delhi's ongoing efforts to promote a misleading narrative regarding the ceasefire and baseless allegations of so-called 'nuclear blackmail' by Pakistan.'
The foreign office said Pakistan Army had mentioned the use of the weapons it used against India in a press release issued by the military's media wing on May 12.
It said the army used precision-guided, long-range Fatah series missiles— F1 and F2— as well as advanced munitions, highly capable long-range loitering killer drones and precision long-range artillery.
'Disseminating unverified and inflammatory content not only undermines regional stability but also reflects poorly on the professionalism of official institutions,' the foreign office said.
India's defense minister last week urged the International Atomic Energy Agency to take charge of Pakistan's nuclear weapons, calling Pakistan an 'irresponsible and rogue' nation.
Pakistan responded by saying that India's 'irresponsible remarks reveal his profound insecurity and frustration regarding Pakistan's effective defense and deterrence against Indian aggression through conventional means.'
Both India and Pakistan have fought two out of three wars since 1947 over the disputed Himalayan territory of Kashmir. They both administer parts of the territory but claim it in full.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Asharq Al-Awsat
3 hours ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
B-2 Bombers Moving to Guam amid Middle East Tensions, US Officials Say
The United States is moving B-2 bombers to the Pacific island of Guam, two US officials told Reuters on Saturday, as President Donald Trump weighs whether the United States should take part in Israel's strikes against Iran. It was unclear whether the bomber deployment is tied to Middle East tensions. The B-2 can be equipped to carry America's 30,000-pound GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator, designed to destroy targets deep underground. That is the weapon that experts say could be used to strike Iran's nuclear program, including Fordow. The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, declined to disclose any further details. One official said no forward orders had been given yet to move the bombers beyond Guam. They did not say how many B-2 bombers are being moved. The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Arab News
4 hours ago
- Arab News
Pakistan tells OIC conference Israeli military actions driving Middle East instability
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Saturday voiced alarm over escalating tensions in the Middle East, blaming Israel's military actions in Gaza and recent strikes in Iran for deepening instability and humanitarian crisis in the region. Addressing the 51st session of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Council of Foreign Ministers in Istanbul, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar reiterated his country's condemnation of Israel's attack on Iran. The high-level conference comes at a moment of crisis for several OIC member states. Two of the bloc's key countries — Pakistan and Iran — have recently experienced military escalations with regional rivals. While Pakistan's brief but intense standoff with India ended in a ceasefire last month, Israel's strikes on Iranian nuclear and military facilities, launched more than a week ago, have shown no signs of de-escalation. 'Israeli aggression against Iran is not an isolated event,' Dar said in his address to the forum. 'It is part of a dangerous and consistent pattern of militarism that Israel has demonstrated across the Middle East.' 'Pakistan remains deeply concerned at the escalating tensions, deepening instability and humanitarian crises across the Middle East,' he added. 'What underpins many of these situations is the continued impunity with which Israel is undermining peace and stability of the broader region.' The Pakistani deputy PM condemned Israel's 'unprovoked aggression' against Iran as a violation of international law and the UN Charter, warning that such actions posed a grave threat to both regional and global peace. 'We can all feel the reverberations of this instability,' he said. Turning to Gaza, Dar said Israel was waging a 'genocidal campaign' against Palestinians, pointing out that over 55,000 people, mostly women and children, had been killed since the start of the conflict in October 2023. He noted Israel was deliberately blocking life-saving humanitarian aid and targeting relief workers, leaving millions displaced and entire neighborhoods in ruins. Calling for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in Gaza, Dar said that lasting peace in the region was impossible without a viable, sovereign Palestinian state based on pre-1967 borders, with Jerusalem as its capital. He also referenced last month's military standoff between Pakistan and India, telling the conference participants that Pakistan had shot down six Indian fighter jets in the confrontation. He said that his country was committed to regional stability and warned that India's unilateral actions — including the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty — were further escalating tensions. 'Pakistan will not allow India to stop water for our people,' he said. 'It will be treated as an act of war.' Dar also urged the OIC to assert itself as a collective voice for the Muslim world. 'The OIC has a crucial role to play in streamlining the rapidly evolving and deteriorating global order to the benefit of the Muslim world,' he added.
Al Arabiya
5 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
GOP's Food Stamp Plan Is Found to Violate Senate Rules. It's the Latest Setback for Trump's Big Bill
In another blow to the Republicans' tax and spending cut bill, the Senate parliamentarian has advised that a proposal to shift some food stamp costs from the federal government to states–a centerpiece of GOP savings efforts–would violate the chamber's rules. While the parliamentarian's rulings are advisory, they are rarely, if ever, ignored. The Republican leadership was scrambling on Saturday, days before voting is expected to begin on President Donald Trump's package that he wants passed into law by the Fourth of July. The loss is expected to be costly to Republicans. They have been counting on some tens of billions of potential savings from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP, to help offset the costs of the $4.5 trillion tax breaks plan. The parliamentarian let stand, for now, a provision that would impose new work requirements for older Americans up to age 65 to receive food stamp aid. 'We will keep fighting to protect families in need,' said Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, the top Democrat on the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee, which handles the SNAP program. 'The parliamentarian has made clear that Senate Republicans cannot use their partisan budget to shift major nutrition assistance costs to the states, that would have inevitably led to major cuts,' she said. The parliamentarian's ruling is the latest in a series of setbacks as staff works through the weekend, often toward midnight, to assess the 1,000-page proposal. It all points to serious trouble ahead for the bill, which was approved by the House on a party-line vote last month over unified opposition from Democrats and is now undergoing revisions in the Senate. At its core, the goal of the multitrillion-dollar package is to extend tax cuts from Trump's first term that would otherwise expire if Congress fails to act. It also adds new ones, including no taxes on tips or overtime pay. To help offset the costs of lost tax revenue, the Republicans are proposing cutbacks to federal Medicaid, health care, and food programs–some $1 trillion. Additionally, the package boosts national security spending by about $350 billion, including to pay for Trump's mass deportations, which are running into protests nationwide. Trump has implored Republicans, who have the majority in Congress, to deliver on his top domestic priority, but the details of the package, with its hodge-podge of priorities, are drawing deeper scrutiny. All told, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates the package, as approved by the House, would add at least $2.4 trillion to the nation's red ink over the decade and leave 10.9 million more people without health care coverage. Additionally, it would reduce or eliminate food stamps for more than 3 million people. The parliamentarian's office is tasked with scrutinizing the bill to ensure it complies with the so-called Byrd Rule, which is named after the late Sen. Robert C. Byrd, and bars many policy matters in the budget reconciliation process now being used. Late Friday, the parliamentarian issued its latest findings. It determined that the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee's proposal to have the states pick up more of the tab for covering food stamps–what Republicans call a new cost-sharing arrangement–would be in violation of the Byrd Rule. Many lawmakers said the states would not be able to absorb the new requirement on food aid, which has long been provided by the federal government. They warned many would lose access to SNAP benefits, used by more than 40 million people. Initially, the CBO had estimated about $128 billion in savings under the House's proposal to shift SNAP food aid costs to the states. Cost estimates for the Senate's version, which made changes to the House approach, have not yet been made publicly available. The parliamentarian's office rulings leave GOP leaders with several options. They can revise the proposals to try to comply with Senate rules or strip them from the package altogether. They can also risk a challenge during floor voting, which would require the 60-vote threshold to overcome. That would be unlikely in the split chamber with Democrats opposing the overall package. The parliamentarian's latest advice also said the committee's provision to make certain immigrants ineligible for food stamps would violate the rule. It found several provisions from the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, which is led by Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, to be in violation. They include one to provide $250 million to Coast Guard stations damaged by fire in 2025, namely one on South Padre Island in Texas. Still to come are some of the most important rulings from the parliamentarian. One will assess the GOP's approach that relies on current policy rather than current law as the baseline for determining whether the bill will add to the nation's deficits. Already, the parliamentarian delivered a serious setback Thursday, finding that the GOP plan to gut the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which was a core proposal coming from the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, would be in violation of the Byrd Rule. The parliamentarian has also advised of violations over provisions from the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee that would roll back Environmental Protection Agency emissions standards on certain vehicles and from the Senate Armed Services Committee to require the defense secretary to provide a plan on how the Pentagon intends to spend the tens of billions of new funds. The new work requirements in the package would require many of those receiving SNAP or Medicaid benefits to work 80 hours a month or engage in other community or educational services.
