New Delhi: India on Monday issued a sharp rebuttal to remarks made by Pakistan’s Army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir. Munir, who is on his second visit to the US in less than two months, was reported to have issued a nuclear threat against India a day earlier. In a strong statement, the Ministry of External Affairs said that “nuclear sabre-rattling is Pakistan's stock-in-trade,” and added that it was regrettable that “these remarks should have been made from the soil of a friendly third country.”
About The Remarks
According to an exclusive report in The Print, Munir said Islamabad would take “half the world down” if confronted with a threat from India. “We are a nuclear nation. If we think we are going down, we’ll take half the world down with us.” Munir made the remarks at a black-tie dinner in Tampa, Florida, hosted by Pakistan’s honorary consul Adnan Asad. The Pakistan Army chief has been known to make anti-India remarks before, but what was noticeable was that he had chosen to make such remarks in the US, a country with which India enjoys warm relations.
While US officials did not comment on Munir's remarks, senior Indian diplomats pointed out that what was noticeable was the lack of condemnation of the reported remarks, which contrasted with the behaviour of previous US administrations. Also of note was that Munir held talks with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Caine, the US’s highest military official, and the statement issued post the talks. “The US-Pakistan military partnership is necessary for advancing shared security goals, promoting regional stability, and supporting peace and nuclear security in South Asia,” said Joint Staff spokesperson Joseph Holstead.
Former foreign secretary Kanwal Sibal said that the invitation issued to Munir by the US for the retirement farewell ceremony of US Central Command (CENTCOM) Commander General Michael Kurilla showed just how emboldened he had become. Sibal added that the Americans needed to take some responsibility for his statement. “Munir would be fully aware that his words at this diaspora dinner would be relayed to the Americans. He obviously counted on this to keep alive the spectre of a nuclear conflict in the subcontinent to pander to Trump’s fantasy of preventing it during Operation Sindoor.”
Other diplomats pointed out that while the MEA rebuttal was needed, one also needed to wait for an official statement from Pakistan.
Statement Of TC Raghavan, Former High Commissioner To Pakistan
TC Raghavan, former high commissioner to Pakistan, stated, “The Pakistani media reports of the speech have not mentioned the nuclear statement but instead have quoted Munir as saying that any act of aggression by India must be met with a 'forceful response'. It is essential in this tense scenario to have an official statement so we can understand what exactly he said and didn’t say.”
Raghavan’s calls for calm come as India’s relationship with the US is under strain. A lot of the reasons for this have to do with Pakistan. Trump has continuously claimed that he stopped a war between India and Pakistan in May, a claim that has continually been denied by New Delhi, who say that it was Pakistan’s DGMO who sought a ceasefire through the hotline.
Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh's Statement
Speaking at an event in Bengaluru on Saturday, Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh said, “In 80 to 90 hours of war, we were able to cause so much damage to their air system that it was clear to them that if they continue, they are going to pay for it.” “So they came forward and sent a message to our DGMO that they wanted to talk. This was accepted on our side. The decision was taken at the highest level.”
