Pakistan has strongly criticised India’s recent test of its intercontinental-range Agni missile, alleging that such developments undermine strategic stability in South Asia and pose threats extending beyond the region.

Foreign Office spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan, during his weekly press briefing, articulated Islamabad’s concerns, asserting that India’s advancing missile capabilities—particularly those now extending to an intercontinental range—pose grave risks to peace and security not only within South Asia but also at the global level.

Khan argued that India’s weapons acquisitions and missile programs reflect an alarming trend of arms build-up, one that erodes the fragile security balance in the region. According to him, this situation is aggravated by what Pakistan perceives as the selective and discriminatory application of export control regimes by the international community, which allegedly allow India access to advanced military technologies while ignoring their destabilising consequences.

The spokesperson stressed that Pakistan has consistently raised such concerns with international partners, but regretted that the global powers appear to turn a blind eye to India’s growing military ambitions.

He claimed that India’s pursuit of advanced missile systems and weapons procurement following recent conflicts with Pakistan have become part of a dangerous pattern that heightens insecurity and fuels an arms race in South Asia.

In response, Khan reaffirmed Pakistan’s policy of maintaining "full-spectrum deterrence"—its comprehensive nuclear deterrence strategy aimed at countering threats across all fronts.

He emphasised that Pakistan views this approach as essential for safeguarding its people and ensuring peace in South Asia, suggesting that in Islamabad’s policy framework, deterrence is not merely military posturing but an indispensable instrument of national security and stability.

During the briefing, Khan also addressed political and diplomatic matters regarding Indo-Pak relations. He reiterated Pakistan’s official stance that it remains open to dialogue with India, but only through the framework of a composite dialogue that addresses all outstanding issues comprehensively, including terrorism, Kashmir, water disputes, and other contentious topics.

This contrasts with New Delhi’s current approach, which restricts bilateral engagement exclusively to terrorism or, as Indian officials have recently stressed, discussions around Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and security-related concerns.

Khan clarified that Pakistan continues to reject a restricted dialogue limited to terrorism and instead advocates for a return to the broader framework established in the 2003 composite dialogue process. That dialogue originally sought to address eight "baskets" of issues spanning all major disputes between the two nations, but was derailed after the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks and was never fully revived.

Khan also touched upon the Indus Waters Treaty dispute, strongly urging India to immediately resume its normal functioning. This treaty—established under World Bank auspices in 1960—has long served as a foundational agreement for water-sharing between the two nations, but has increasingly come under strain amid rising bilateral tensions.

Following the Pahalgam terrorist attack in April 2022, India announced several punitive steps against Pakistan, including suspension of cooperation under the treaty, a move Pakistan perceives as a violation of international obligations. For Islamabad, the Indus issue is an existential matter, tied to the livelihoods and agricultural security of millions of citizens, making its suspension by India a highly significant escalation.

On the regional and international front, the spokesperson indicated that no bilateral meeting is planned between the Prime Ministers of Pakistan and India on the sidelines of the upcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin.

This reflects continued diplomatic deadlock, with neither side signalling readiness for substantive political breakthroughs. On a lighter note, Khan was also quizzed about cricketing ties, particularly the Indian cricket team’s participation against Pakistan, to which he responded that sports and politics should be kept separate—a position Pakistan has long advocated in relation to cricket diplomacy between the two countries.

Lastly, in a rare nod to international mediation efforts, Khan acknowledged the role of then U.S. President Donald Trump in arranging a ceasefire between the nuclear-armed neighbours. He credited this intervention with contributing significantly to regional peace and stability, noting that external actors’ involvement in crisis de-escalation continues to play an important role in South Asia’s volatile security environment.

Pakistan’s sharp response to India’s Agni missile test underscores deep-rooted security anxieties in Islamabad. The statement reflects Pakistan’s multifaceted strategy: projecting itself as a responsible actor committed to deterrence and dialogue, seeking international attention to India’s military build-up, and simultaneously pressing for resumption of comprehensive talks.

However, the divergence in approaches towards dialogue—India’s insistence on restricting the agenda to terrorism and PoK, versus Pakistan’s demand for broad-based negotiations—continues to block progress.

With disputes spanning arms build-up, water sharing, terrorism, and Kashmir, the Indo-Pak security environment remains as fragile as ever, with incremental escalations such as missile tests or treaty suspensions exacerbating mistrust and threatening regional stability.

Based On PTI Report