In a deeply disturbing display, the Prime Minister of India recently delivered remarks in Gujarat that were less a statement of policy and more a theatrical performance befitting a campaign rally.
The video shared by the Indian news outlet ANI, in which Modi says, “The people of Pakistan must come forward to rid their country of terrorism. There youth will have to come forward.” Further he said, “Live a life of peace, eat your bread or my bullet,”
His remarks are filled with threats and insinuations. The speech took an even darker turn when he appeared to frame Pakistan’s choices in blatantly violent terms and offered either a life of peace and subsistence or the consequences of his own coercive agenda. These comments were met with loud applause from a crowd decked in orange and white and presented the growing normalization of aggressive posturing in India’s political landscape.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has taken note and stated that the statement mirrors a disturbing loss of statesmanship in a nuclear-armed country whose leadership is expected to act with prudence and restraint. Such rhetoric does not merely represent political bravado but it stands in stark violation of the United Nations Charter. The Charter mandates that all member states settle their disputes peacefully and explicitly prohibits the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of another state.
Foreign Office issued a press release in which it stated clearly, “Such statements blatantly violate the fundamental principles of the United Nations Charter, which obliges member states to resolve disputes peacefully and to refrain from the threat or use of force against the sovereignty or political independence of other states.”
The Indian Prime Minister’s remarks blatantly disregard these foundational principles of international conduct. Said Foreign Office. Pakistan views this inflammatory address as a reckless provocation, seemingly aimed at diverting attention from the ongoing human rights violations and demographic re-engineering in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu & Kashmir (IIOJK). Further FO added that the repeated attempts to distort reality and deflect international scrutiny through belligerent posturing have become a troubling pattern in Indian statecraft.
In contrast, FO said that Pakistan’s global record speaks for itself. As a leading contributor to United Nations peacekeeping missions and a cooperative partner in counter-terrorism efforts, Pakistan has consistently demonstrated its commitment to international peace and security.
If India is genuinely concerned about extremism, self-examination is long overdue. The real threat lies within the alarming rise of majoritarianism, religious intolerance, and the systematic marginalization of minorities under the increasingly violent Hindutva ideology.
Moreover, Pakistan remains firmly committed to peace, grounded in the principles of mutual respect and sovereign equality. However, let there be no doubt: any threat to Pakistan’s national security or territorial integrity will be met with resolute and equivalent action, in accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter.
FO said, “The international community must not ignore India’s escalating rhetoric. It not only undermines regional peace but also raises serious concerns about the trajectory of Indian policymaking under its current leadership.”
At this very time when South Asia needs dialogue and stability, jingoism serves no purpose other than to exacerbate tensions and threaten the fragile balance of peace.
