Pakistan said on Tuesday it remained committed to a truce with India agreed after four days of intense fighting last week, but vowed to respond with full resolve to any future aggression by New Delhi.
The nuclear-armed neighbors halted their worst fighting in nearly three decades after agreeing to a ceasefire on Saturday, following diplomacy and pressure from the United States.
Tuesday's comments from Islamabad came in response to a speech by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi the previous day that warned Pakistan New Delhi would target "terrorist hideouts" across the border again if there were new attacks on India, without being deterred by "nuclear blackmail".
Pakistan's foreign ministry said Islamabad categorically rejected Modi's "provocative and inflammatory assertions" in the speech.
"At a time when international efforts are being made for regional peace and stability, this statement represents a dangerous escalation," it said in a statement.
"Pakistan remains committed to the recent ceasefire understanding and taking necessary steps towards de-escalation and regional stability," it said, promising full resolve in meeting any future aggression by its neighbor.
The two sides fired missiles and drones targeting each other's military installations after India said it struck "terrorist infrastructure" sites in Pakistan and Pakistani Kashmir on Wednesday in retaliation for an attack in Indian Kashmir that killed 26 Hindu tourists.
Pakistan, which said the targets were all civilian, denies Indian accusations that it was behind the attack in the Himalayan region. Its military has said 40 civilians and 11 of its armed forces were killed in the attack.
India said at least five of its military personnel and 16 civilians died.
India said on Tuesday it had declared an official of the Pakistani High Commission in New Delhi persona non grata "for indulging in activities not in keeping with his official status".
Pakistan also declared a staff member at the Indian High Commission in Islamabad persona non grata "for engaging in activities incompatible with his privileged status".
Each was given 24 hours to leave the country.
Both countries have already reduced the strength of their embassies after relations nosedived after the April 22 attack.
MODI REPEATS WARNING
Hindu-majority India and Muslim Pakistan each rule part of Kashmir, but both claim it in full, having fought two of their three wars since independence in 1947 over it, along with several limited flare-ups, particularly in 1999 and 2019.
Earlier on Tuesday, Modi visited the Adampur air base near the border and repeated his warning to Pakistan in remarks to Indian Air Force personnel, with whom he posed for photographs.
"We will not differentiate between the government sponsoring terrorism and the masterminds of terrorism," Modi said, referring to India's response in the event of another attack.
"We will enter their dens and hit them without giving them an opportunity to survive."
Separately, the Indian foreign ministry said the issue of trade did not come up in talks with Washington regarding the tension with Pakistan.
The understanding to stop the fighting was reached directly with Islamabad after Pakistan's military operations chief called his Indian counterpart and made the proposal, it added.
Pakistan has said it called India in response to a call from New Delhi on May 7, which the Indian military immediately followed its strikes on the "terrorist infrastructure" in Pakistan.
On Monday, US President Donald Trump said the leaders of India and Pakistan were "unwavering", and the United States had "helped a lot" to secure the ceasefire, adding that trade was a "big reason" why the countries stopped fighting.
India has said the military operations chiefs of both nations spoke by telephone on Monday, reiterating their commitment to halt firing and consider steps to reduce troops on the border.
Pakistan has not provided details of the call.
