Pakistan armed forces ready to respond to any threat: Nawaz Sharif

New Delhi: Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday claimed that his country's armed forces were fully equipped and ready to respond to any kind of threat.

He made the remark after India warned Pakistan of facing dire consequences if Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav, whom a Pak Military court on Monday sentenced to death over the charges of espionage and waging war against Islamabad, is given death penalty.

"Pakistan is a peace-loving country but this should not be seen as a sign of weakness," Sharif said, adding, "Cooperation rather than conflict and shared prosperity instead of suspicion are the hallmark of our policy."

Addressing cadets at the Asghar Khan Pakistan Air Force Academy in Risalpur city, he added, "We cannot remain oblivious to defending our sovereignty and protesting our independence."

"Pakistan for its part will never hesitate to extend the hand of friendship to all and will never waiver from returning goodwill with even more goodwill," he said.

The Pakistan PM further claimed that war is no longer an exclusivity of military forces, as the nations are ready to wage war in several other domains to preserve their way of living, ideological identity and economic interest.

Earlier on Monday, India had warned Pakistan that if Kulbhushan Jadhav, who is a retired Indian naval officer, is hanged, it will be regarded as a 'premeditated murder' and will destroy the ties with Islamabad.

Also Read: Kulbhushan Jadhav’s death verdict strongly condemned by Indian Parliament

"There is no evidence of wrongdoing by Jadhav. If anything, he is the victim of a plan that seeks to cast aspersions on India to deflect international attention from Pakistan's well-known record of sponsoring and supporting terrorism," External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said in the Parliament.

Standing in full support of the Indian national, Home Minister Rajnath Singh in Lok Sabha had promised to do everything to get justice for Jadhav.

He condemned Pakistan for ignoring all norms of law and justice, saying, "The government strongly condemns it. All norms of law and justice were ignored. I want to assure the House that the government will do everything possible to get justice for Jadhav. He will get justice."