In a fiery rebuttal to Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir’s provocative nuclear threat in the United States, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Tuesday tore into Munir’s remarks, branding them as reckless and unbecoming of a military leader.

Munir had reportedly declared during his US visit, “We are a nuclear nation. If we think we are going down, we’ll take half the world down with us.” The statement has drawn sharp criticism from Indian political and diplomatic circles.

Speaking to ANI, Owaisi condemned the comments in no uncertain terms: “The Pakistan Army Chief’s words and his threats are condemnable. What’s unfortunate is that this is happening in the US, which is India’s strategic partner. He is speaking like a ‘sadakchaap aadmi.’ We also need to understand that with the constant threat we face from the Pakistani Army and their deep state, we will have to increase our defence budget so that we can stay prepared.”

The Government of India, through the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), also issued a stern response. “Our attention has been drawn to remarks reportedly made by the Pakistani Chief of Army Staff during his visit to the United States. Nuclear sabre-rattling is Pakistan’s stock-in-trade. The international community can draw its own conclusions about the irresponsibility of such remarks, which only reinforce long-standing concerns over the integrity of nuclear command and control in a state where the military operates hand-in-glove with terrorist groups,” the MEA statement read.

The ministry further asserted that India would never bow to nuclear blackmail: “India will continue taking all necessary steps to safeguard its national security.”