A day after reminding India of Islamabad's "atom bomb", Pakistan Minister Shazia Marri on Sunday defended her remarks, which raised concerns in the neighboring nation.
"Pakistan's FM responded to inciting comments by the Indian Minister. Pakistan has sacrificed far more than India in the fight against terrorism," she wrote on Twitter.
She added that "Pakistan is a responsible nuclear state," notably only 24 hours after warning India of Pakistan's nuclear weapons.
"India should not forget that Pakistan has an atom bomb. Our nuclear status is not meant to remain silent. We will not back down if the need arises," the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) politician said on Saturday.
Her "atom bomb" threat came after several Indian cabinet ministers slammed Bilawal Bhutto for his objectionable statement against PM Modi.
Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) held demonstrations in major cities to protest the remarks of the Pakistan Foreign Minister, who called Modi the "butcher of Gujarat" during a media briefing in New York, as he reacted to his Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar's remarks on the previous day.
Jaishankar had criticized Islamabad for previously "hosting" ex-al-Qaeda* chief Osama bin Laden and allegedly backing cross-border terrorism targeting India.
Meanwhile, the "butcher of Gujarat" comment from Bhutto was about the massive clashes that Gujarat witnessed between Hindus and Muslims in 2002, when Modi was its state chief.
While Modi's political opponents accuse him of doing nothing to stop the sectarian clashes, a special investigation team (SIT) absolved him of any culpability in the riots. India's Supreme Court later upheld the decision of the SIT.
The Indian Foreign Ministry described Bhutto's comments as a "new low, even for Pakistan."
Arindam Bagchi, the foreign ministry spokesperson, reiterated New Delhi's charge about Pakistan's "indisputable role in sponsoring, harboring, and actively financing terrorist and terrorist organizations."
"The Pakistani FM's uncivilized outburst seems to be a result of Pakistan's increasing inability to use terrorists and their proxies," the Indian official said.
*Al Qaeda is a terrorist group banned in Russia and many other countries