• Source:JND
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Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has ruled out the use of nuclear weapons with India amid the recent Operation Sindoor conflict, expressing that Pakistan's nuclear programme is reserved for "peaceful purposes and national defence." Speaking to a group of Pakistani students on Saturday, PM Sharif recalled the intense four-day military confrontation following India’s Operation Sindoor, a series of precision strikes targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) in retaliation for the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 civilians. “Pakistan’s nuclear programme is solely for peaceful activities and self-defence. It is not intended for aggression,” Sharif asserted, underscoring a significant shift from earlier remarks by senior Pakistani officials hinting at nuclear retaliation.

Contradicts Earlier Threats of 'Full Spectrum' Response

Sharif's comments were the opposite of those made in May by Muhammad Khalid Jamali, Pakistan's ambassador to Russia. Addressing Russian media, Jamali had issued a threat that any Indian attack or efforts to interfere with Pakistan's water supply would be countered with the "full spectrum of power, both conventional and nuclear. Any effort to appropriate the water of the lower riparian, or to impede it, or to divert it would amount to an act of war," Jamali had stated, giving stern indications of nuclear possibilities being available. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), China remains Pakistan’s largest defence partner, supplying 8.2 billion USD worth of arms since 2015. Between 2020 and 2024, Pakistan received 63% of China’s total arms exports, the highest share for any country.

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No Truth to Rumours of Zardari Resignation, Says PM

On the political side, PM Sharif also rejected common speculations that President Asif Ali Zardari would resign and that Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir would be taking over as president. "These are all speculations. Field Marshal Asim Munir never showed any intention to be president, nor is there any such strategy adopted," Sharif explained in an interview with The News on Friday. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also denounced the so-called "malicious campaign" to destabilise Pakistan's leadership. Naqvi suggested foreign hands were behind these rumours, swearing, "We will do whatever is necessary to make Pakistan strong again, InshAllah."

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These moves came after India's Operation Sindoor, initiated on May 7, aimed at nine terror bases in Pakistan and PoK. Pakistan-based outfits Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Hizbul Mujahideen were blamed by Indian intelligence agencies for the Pahalgam attack.“India will not tolerate nuclear blackmail while fighting terrorism and its sponsors,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said during the operation. India’s Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan echoed this sentiment, stating that nuclear deterrence cannot shield state-sponsored terrorism.