Continuing their harangue against each other, Pakistan has criticized and downplayed India's acquisition of the Russian-made S-400 Triumph air defense system, claiming Islamabad can counter the threat.

New Delhi recently signed a $5.4 billion deal with Moscow to purchase what is believed to be modern ballistic missile defense (BMS) system available. India has said it needs the missile system that provides high-altitude protection from incoming missiles to bolster its defenses against China and Pakistan.

Pakistan's Foreign Ministry, in an official statement on Friday, warned the purchase of the system will "further destabilize strategic stability" and lead to a "renewed" arms race in South Asia.

The Russian weapon system, according to reports, can simultaneously engage and destroy 36 targets, including aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) and ballistic as well as cruise missiles within 400 kilometers at an altitude of 30 kilometer.

“Pakistan remains fully confident of its ability to address threats from any kind of destabilizing weapon system,” the ministry noted, in an indirect reference to India.

In January 2017, Islamabad announced the successful flight testing of a surface-to-surface "Ababeel" ballistic missile that it said was capable of carrying multiple nuclear warheads to hit targets with "high precision" as far as 2,200 kilometers, "defeating the enemy's hostile radars."

U.S. and Western critics maintain that Pakistan has the fastest-growing nuclear arsenal in the world, assertions Islamabad dismisses as "misleading."

Last week, speaking at an event in Islamabad, Pakistan President Arif Alvi said Pakistan was not in an arms race.