Just days after India’s Army Chief issued a stark warning to Islamabad regarding its continued support for terrorism, Pakistan’s Defence Minister, Khawaja Asif, delivered a forceful counter-statement. On October 5, 2025, Asif cautioned New Delhi against initiating any future military conflict, asserting that India would be ‘buried under the wreckage of its warplanes.’
Asif’s fiery remarks were a direct response to recent warnings from Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi, who had both advised Pakistan against any aggressive actions.
The Pakistani minister took to social media, labeling statements from India’s military and political leaders as a ‘failed attempt’ to regain lost credibility. He suggested this perceived loss of standing stemmed from ‘pressure’ following what he described as a defeat in May’s clashes. “The statements of the Indian military and political leadership are a failed attempt to restore their tarnished reputation,” Asif wrote. “After such a decisive defeat with a score of 0-6, if they try again, the score, God willing, will be far better than before.” He did not clarify the meaning of the ‘0-6 score.’
Earlier, on October 3, 2025, Indian Army Chief General Dwivedi declared that Pakistan must cease sponsoring terrorism on its soil if it wished to maintain its presence on the world map. He emphasized that India’s previous restraint during ‘Operation Sindoor’ would not be repeated in future conflicts. “India, as a country, is fully prepared this time. And this time, it will not show the restraint that it showed during Operation Sindoor 1.0. This time we will take a step forward and act in a manner that will make Pakistan think whether it wants to remain on the world map or not,” General Dwivedi stated.
Adding to India’s assertive stance, Air Chief Marshal A.P. Singh announced on the same day, October 3, 2025, that Indian strikes during Operation Sindoor had destroyed or damaged at least a dozen Pakistani military aircraft, including US-origin F-16 jets. He dismissed Islamabad’s claims of Indian losses as ‘fanciful stories.’ “What we have gathered from the intelligence report is that because of these strikes, radars at least four places, command and control centres at two places, runways at two places and then three of their hangars in three different stations have been damaged,” he elaborated.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, speaking in Hyderabad on October 3, 2025, reiterated that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government has consistently demonstrated its resolve to cross any border to protect India’s citizens and uphold national integrity. He cited the 2016 surgical strike, the 2019 Balakot airstrike, and the recent Operation Sindoor as examples.
A day prior, Singh warned that any Pakistani ‘misadventure’ in the disputed Sir Creek sector would provoke a ‘decisive response’ powerful enough to alter ‘history and geography.’ Sir Creek, a 96-km tidal estuary between Gujarat’s Rann of Kutch and Pakistan, remains a contentious area due to differing interpretations of maritime boundaries.
Operation Sindoor was launched on May 7, 2025, in retaliation for the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, targeting terror infrastructure within Pakistan-controlled territories. The strikes led to four days of intense clashes, which concluded on May 10, 2025, with an agreement to halt military actions. India maintains that Pakistan initiated pleas to end the hostilities after its military infrastructure was significantly impacted by Indian forces.