‘Nuclear is solely for…’: Pakistan PM Sharif changes tune after Indian strikes

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has dismissed fears of a potential nuclear conflict with India, days after Indian military strikes in a cross-border operation. Addressing students in Islamabad, Sharif said Pakistan’s nuclear programme is aimed solely at maintaining peace and protecting its national interests. “Pakistan’s nuclear programme is solely for peaceful purposes and national defence, not for aggression,” Sharif said.

His remarks come in the aftermath of Operation Sindoor, launched by India in response to the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir. The attack triggered a sharp military response from New Delhi, targeting terror infrastructure across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

On May 7, Indian forces carried out coordinated strikes on nine sites, including Bahawalpur, known as a stronghold of the Jaish-e-Mohammad terror group. Sharif said Pakistan responded “with full might” during the four-day escalation, during which 55 Pakistanis were killed.

In the weeks following the Pahalgam attack, tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbours escalated. Pakistan’s Defence Minister had stated that the country was on high alert but would resort to its nuclear arsenal only under extreme circumstances. “There is a direct threat to our existence — only then will we consider it,” he said.

The nuclear discourse intensified further when Javed Ashraf Qazi, former Director General of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), issued a stark warning. “Both countries are nuclear weapon states. A war could lead to nuclear devastation — not just of our two nations, but of the entire region. The nuclear cloud can spread beyond hundreds of miles,” he said.

Drawing a comparison with World War II, Qazi added, “In Japan, only two bombs were dropped and the consequences are visible even today. India and Pakistan have more than 170 bombs each. It is horrible to imagine a war with such an arsenal.”

While Islamabad has maintained that its nuclear programme is a deterrent, Indian officials have consistently rejected what they describe as “nuclear blackmail”. Past instances have shown Pakistani political and military leaders invoking the nuclear threat whenever bilateral tensions flare.