'They have atom bomb': Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar sparks row over remarks on Pakistan

Congress veteran Mani Shankar Aiyar courted controversy after saying that India should engage in dialogue with Pakistan and not flex its military muscles as it may irk Islamabad into deploying nuclear weapons against New Delhi.

He was the second leader in recent days to warn about Pakistan's nuclear capabilities. Earlier this week, National Conference (NC) chief Farooq Abdullah remarked sharply that Pakistan could resort to using atom bombs if provoked. Aiyar, a former diplomat and vocal advocate of normalising India-Pakistan relations, stated that the government can talk tough to Islamabad if it wants to, but if it doesn’t respect the neighbouring country, it may have to pay a heavy price.