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NDTV
7 hours ago
- Politics
- NDTV
The Strange Reasons Behind Asim Munir's Anti-India Tirades
Munir is at it again. The newly minted Field Marshal of Pakistan, while addressing the cadets of the Pakistan Naval Academy recently, burst into yet another tirade against India, tickboxing Kashmir, India's 'aggressiveness' and ironically calling his country a 'net regional stabiliser'. That in itself should have had the audience in splits, given his country's shelter for terrorists of all hues, and for all neighbourhoods, not barring China at one time, and Iran still. It would be ridiculous were it not so dangerous. The question is, why is Munir at it again, together with his echo chamber and political minions? The Harangue Apart from the expected language about the "oppressed people" of Kashmir - more than 14,000 of whom have been murdered by his jihadis - he warned against India's "unprovoked aggression" in 2019 and 2025 and said that Pakistan's "measured response" had prevented escalation. Then came a bizarre statement that India "creates tensions" when Pakistan is close to winning its war against terrorism. Considering that Pakistan's terrorist totals have been steadily growing according to its own and global reports, and that the number of those killed and 'disappeared' in ham-handed 'counter terrorism' operations continues to increase, this seems like the usual blame game. But one does need to see what this particular outrage is aimed at. Remember, Munir made a similar tirade just five days before Pahalgam happened. In an eerie replay, the attack that killed 13 Pakistani soldiers was just a day before this particular shouting match. Not just that. Very unusually, Pakistan blamed India for the attack. It usually doesn't. The 'Victory' Quoting from the Koran, Munir then declared, "How often has it happened that a small number defeated a large number ...". That applies to Pakistan and the (US-sponsored) jihad movement that defeated the Soviet Union. But it certainly doesn't apply to the Pakistan army, which lost every single war it fought with India, including Kargil. Even so, one has to hand it to Pakistan. It has managed to turn everything into a 'victory' with some smart media legwork. After Balakot, it declared that all India hit were some trees, not terrorist camps; it even accused India of 'eco-terrorism' against a reserved forest. This was accepted by the general media given the lack of adequate proof. During Operation Sindoor, Pakistan claimed it hit several Indian aircraft. That the Indian Armed Forces then went on to strike every single sensitive air base, including Sargodha, the holiest of the holies, mattered not at all. It was still a 'win'. At some point, Delhi needs to examine what Pakistan deems a 'victory'. The High Comes Down Low Here's the core issue, though. There is no doubt that Munir and the army were on a popular high immediately after Operation Sindoor, with his many misdemeanours, including jailing not just a Prime Minister - par for the course in Pakistan - but also an ISI chief, forgotten. Glory, however, dissipates fast during peacetime. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is finding that out the hard way, with a 2022 case for corruption reopened against him almost immediately after the war closed. Munir has had his own embarrassment. Right Munir gloriously proposed a Nobel Peace prize for Trump, the latter launched a bombing campaign on Pakistan's neighbouring Muslim state. Naturally, this necessitated a turnaround for Pakistan; ultimately, in its 'official' response, it was compelled to 'condemn' the American attack. That dual position has led to memes on X, most notably pointing at Munir's willingness to knife Iran in the back. Back to Basics Meanwhile, speculation is rife about what Munir has offered in return for what was truly a high-profile, never-seen-before lunch. The most obvious answer is intel on Iran, which Pakistan has provided for years. At this critical point, when no one is really sure whether Iran's nuclear ambitions are still in play, this becomes critical. Sure, there are other actors, such as the Azeris and Iraqis. But America's CENTCOM (Central Command) has operated from here for years. Besides, there is no need for traditional 'bases' in the age of long-range drones. Possible also are small groups of Special Forces, and overflight rights. For India, here's the bottom line: as long as US forces are on the ground, it will be difficult for India to attack Pakistan in response to another terrorist strike. Watch their space. The Echo Chamber Speaks Meanwhile, look at the preparation by Munir's echo chamber. A certain well-known journalist has claimed that he has information about 'secret' plans, that India and Israel are planning to attack Pakistan's nuclear sites. He quotes a June 18 tweet by Israeli Professor Meir Masri, who is the director of geopolitics at Hebrew University Jerusalem and former deputy minister of defence: "After Iran's campaign, we may seek to dismantle Pakistan's nuclear programme". He quotes a few more academics in this regard and references posts on Indian accounts. This is the 'secret' plan that's apparently supposed to be the apex point of 'Operation Sindoor 2'. This might have been dismissed as clickbait in another case. But it may well be that Pakistan is preparing for a possible attack by India - naturally after what it always calls a 'false flag' terror strike. That has been its claim for years. All this is echoed by the rather unpredictable Defence Minister, Khawaja Asif, and other politicians. Water As A Pretence Then there is the very real fact that by October, the next sowing season will start, and India would likely again reduce the water flow - or so it is alleged - of other dams. In May, it had carried out the first desilting operations on Baglhiar and Salal, the first such exercise since their inception. That requires the dam to be first flushed out - sending silt down the river - and then filled up again, which takes about a month. The press release by the Indus River Systems Authority (IRSA) of Pakistan did take a 'unanimous' view that available water for the kharif crop had dropped precipitously due to reduced water release by India, but only as part of an overall decrease. The IRSA has been the focus of criticism for its inability to maintain its canals and for not increasing Pakistan's legitimate water storage capability over the years. Therefore, while there is a strong element of 'crying wolf', the Pakistan army, now fully in control of the state with a civilian government existing only in name, will have to take note. Again, the echo chamber - notably, Bilawal Bhutto - has been warning of war on the question of the Indus treaty 'abeyance'. The Contours Of Terrorism Finally, Trump is expected to arrive in India for the upcoming Quad summit, and given very long 'traditions', one can't rule out a terrorist incident coinciding with his visit. Even the recent Pahalgam attack happened when Vice President JD Vance was in India. With the President's appetite for mediation, that would be an opportune time. In fact, far too many aspects are coinciding at more or less the same time to afford us any degree of comfort. There are also some other curious aspects to terrorism that need to be noted. On May 25, in a tragic accident in Balochistan, a horrifying attack on an army school bus killed 40 children. This came well after Operation Sindoor had ended and when a 'ceasefire' was in place. The incident was horrifying and quite unlike any recent India-Pakistan clash. Remember that India had observed a two-minute silence in Parliament when a similar attack hit the Army Public School in Peshawar in December 2014. Surely, no national leader would authorise such a strike, and, in actual fact, India and Pakistan have in recent years limited their strikes to security personnel. Something doesn't smell right. Does someone else intend to keep Delhi and Pakistan suitably destabilised? It might be a good idea to put our heads together on this one.
Hans India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Hans India
Pak army chief justifies terror groups' ops in J&K
Islamabad: Pakistan Army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir on Saturday backed terror groups operating in Jammu and Kashmir, justifying their actions (what India has described as terrorism) as a 'legitimate struggle'. Addressing a graduating parade at the Pakistan Naval Academy in Karachi, Munir explained that Islamabad would even continue providing political, diplomatic, and moral support to the Kashmiri people. Munir's inflammatory comments come just a day before the Indian Army stopped an infiltration attempt by Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) militants from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) at the Keri sector of Rajouri, Jammu and Kashmir—two days before the annual Amarnath Yatra. A group of heavily armed militants were challenged, leading to a gunfight that killed at least two of them. A local guide, arrested after suspicion of having assisted them, is now being questioned by security agencies. Munir, who is no stranger to spreading inflammatory anti-India rhetoric, also declared in his speech that India had 'twice undertaken acts of unprovoked aggression against Pakistan', and the onus of any future escalation would 'squarely lie with the aggressor'. 'Pakistan, despite grave provocations, acted with restraint and maturity, and demonstrated its commitment to regional peace and stability, which has led to Pakistan's role as a net regional stabiliser,' Munir said.
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Business Standard
2 days ago
- Politics
- Business Standard
Pak army chief describes terrorism in J&K as 'legitimate struggle'
Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir has described terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir as a "legitimate struggle", saying his country would always stand by the people of Kashmir in their struggle. Field Marshal Munir also warned India of a befitting response in case of any future attack, weeks after the two nations briefly locked horns in a dangerous conflict. "What India labels as terrorism is, in fact, a legitimate and lawful struggle for freedom, recognised by international law," Munir said while addressing a passing out ceremony at Pakistan Naval Academy, Karachi, on Saturday. "Those who have tried to suppress the Kashmiri people's will and pursue conflict elimination instead of resolution have only made the movement more relevant through their own actions," he claimed. He said that Pakistan would always stand by the people of Kashmir in their struggle for the right to self-determination. "Pakistan is a strong advocate for a just resolution of the Kashmir issue in accordance with United Nations resolutions and the aspirations of the Kashmiri people, he added. In the past, Munir had described Kashmir as Pakistan's "jugular vein". India has repeatedly told Pakistan that the Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh "was, is and shall forever remain an integral part of the country. The ties between the two countries nosedived after India abrogated Article 370 of the Constitution, revoking the special status of Jammu and Kashmir, and bifurcating the State into two Union Territories on August 5, 2019. In his address, Munir also claimed that Pakistan proved itself as a "net region stabiliser after having repelled the Indian military attack twice. He was apparently referring to the 2019 Balakot strike after the Pulwama terror attack and the recent Operation Sindoor following the Pahalgam terror attack. "Pakistan, despite grave provocations, acted with restraint and maturity and demonstrated its commitment to regional peace and stability, which has led to Pakistan's role as a net regional stabiliser," he claimed. "As we steadily, but surely, build our comprehensive national power, any enemy acting on the perceived vulnerability of Pakistan under the illusion of strategic impunity or miscalculation, would get a swift and a very befitting response," he said. The army chief also said that undeterred by the efforts by adversaries, Pakistan would continue on the path of progress, development and prosperity. He also reaffirmed the armed forces' commitment to eradicating terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, vowing to take the fight to its logical conclusion.
Mint
2 days ago
- Politics
- Mint
Pakistan Army chief Asim Munir backs terror groups operating in Jammu and Kashmir
Pakistan Army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir has backed terror groups operating in Jammu and Kashmir, saying that what India describes as terrorism is a 'legitimate struggle' and that Pakistan will continue providing political, diplomatic, and moral support to the Kashmiri people. Munir made the remarks while addressing a passing out parade at the Pakistan Naval Academy on Saturday, when he also said that India has 'twice undertaken acts of unprovoked aggression against Pakistan' and the onus of any future escalation 'will squarely lie with the aggressor'. The speech was reminiscent of Munir's remarks at an Overseas Pakistanis Convention in Islamabad on April 16, less than a week before the Pahalgam terror attack, when he described Kashmir as the 'jugular vein' of Pakistan and said Islamabad will continue backing the struggle against 'Indian occupation'. There was no immediate response from Indian officials to Munir's latest remarks. Munir's previous remarks on Kashmir have been rubbished by the external affairs ministry. 'What India tends to term as terrorism is in fact the legitimate struggle as per the international conventions. Those who endeavoured to subdue the will of Kashmiri people and sought conflict elimination instead of resolution have made it more relevant and pronounced through their own actions,' Munir said while addressing the gathering in Karachi that included top military officers, civilian officials, and diplomats. 'We stand firm with the Kashmiri people for their right of self-determination for the resolution of the internationally recognised long-standing dispute in accordance with the UN Security Council resolutions and the aspirations of the people of Kashmir,' he added. Munir contended that 'regional peace will forever remain elusive' and there would be 'perpetual danger of conflict in South Asia' without the 'just and peaceful resolution' of the Kashmir issue. Paying tribute to those who are struggling for 'the right of self-determination', Munir said: 'Pakistan will always continue to provide political, diplomatic and moral support to the valiant people of…Jammu and Kashmir.' India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7 to target terrorist infrastructure in territories controlled by Pakistan in retaliation for the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 civilians. This triggered four days of intense clashes, with both sides using drones, missiles, and long-range weapons, before they reached an understanding to halt military actions on May 10. Munir claimed India's leadership had 'twice undertaken acts of unprovoked aggression against Pakistan' in recent years, under the 'pretext of counter terrorism'. He was referring to the clashes in May and the cross-border air strike carried out by India in response to the Pulwama suicide bombing in 2019 that killed 40 Indian troopers. At that time, both sides had briefly engaged in aerial battles and skirmishes. 'Pakistan, despite grave provocations, acted with restraint and maturity and demonstrated its commitment to regional peace and stability, which has led to Pakistan's role as net regional stabiliser,' Munir said. 'However, the assumption that Pakistan would have any constraints in the face of any future violation of its sovereignty reflects a dangerous misreading of strategic fundamentals…any enemy acting on perceived vulnerability of Pakistan under the illusion of strategic impunity or miscalculation would get an assured, swift and a very befitting response.'
The Print
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Print
After Trump lunch & SCO meet, Munir warns India against acting under ‘illusion of strategic impunity'
'What India tends to term as terrorism is in fact a legitimate struggle as per international conventions,' Munir said, addressing a gathering that included senior military officials, government representatives, and foreign diplomats. He argued that attempts to suppress the Kashmiri movement have only 'made it more relevant and pronounced'. Speaking at a passing out parade Saturday, Munir dismissed India's characterisation of insurgent activity in Jammu and Kashmir as terrorism. New Delhi: Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff, Field Marshal Asim Munir, has once again raised the Kashmir issue, months after Operation Sindoor. In a speech at the Pakistan Naval Academy, Munir reaffirmed Pakistan's commitment to providing 'political, diplomatic, and moral support' to the people of Kashmir for the 'legitimate struggle' of the Kashmiri people. The army chief reiterated Islamabad's long-standing position that Kashmir is a core issue in South Asia. 'We stand firm with the Kashmiri people for their right of self-determination… in accordance with UN Security Council resolutions and the aspirations of the people of Kashmir'. He said that regional peace would remain elusive without a 'just and peaceful resolution' to the Kashmir dispute. This is not the first time Munir has raised the Kashmir issue this way. In April, for instance, he described Kashmir as the 'jugular vein' of Pakistan at a convention for overseas Pakistanis in Islamabad. While the rhetoric is not new for Pakistan's military establishment, Munir's remarks come at a time when international developments, notably diplomatic gestures from the United States and China, appear to have emboldened Islamabad. Threats & challenges Touching upon recent military tensions, Munir accused India of 'unprovoked aggression' against Pakistan, referring to Operation Sindoor, carried out in the aftermath of the deadly Pahalgam attack. Referring to the retaliation to Operation Sindoor, Munir claimed that Pakistan showed 'restraint and maturity' in its military response and called the country a 'net regional stabiliser'. He also referenced the 2019 Balakot air strikes by India following the Pulwama suicide bombing, labelling them as further examples of 'acts of aggression under the pretext of counter-terrorism'. However, he warned that any miscalculation about Pakistan's defensive capabilities would be a 'dangerous misreading of strategic fundamentals'. 'Any enemy acting on a perceived vulnerability of Pakistan under the illusion of strategic impunity would get an assured, swift, and very befitting response,' Munir said. Not a new rhetoric Munir's remarks come weeks after US President Donald Trump hosted him for a lunch meeting at the White House. At the time, Trump publicly praised the general for what he described as a decisive role in halting the fighting between India and Pakistan. 'This man [Munir] was extremely influential in stopping it from the Pakistani side, and PM [Narendra] Modi from the Indian side,' Trump said, adding, 'They were going at it, and both are nuclear countries. I stopped a war between two major nations.' Pakistan has continued to highlight Trump's involvement, even endorsing him for a Nobel Peace Prize. India, however, has downplayed the president's claims, maintaining that Operation Sindoor ended after direct bilateral dialogue and not due to third-party intervention. Additionally, last week, India refused to sign a joint statement which would have diluted the country's stand at Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers' meet over the issue of terror. As reported by ThePrint earlier, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh objected to the attempts to dilute the issue of terror and downplay the Pahalgam attack, even as both China and Pakistan pushed for dropping the mention of the Pahalgam attack but wanted inclusion of the Jaffar Express attack in Pakistan's Balochistan province. Capitalising on the developments at the SCO, Munir invoked Balochistan in his weekend speech, framing the region's insurgency as a counterpoint to India's concerns. 'If the 1.3-million strong Indian Army can't intimidate us…you will see that we will beat these terrorists very soon,' Munir said, dismissing threats from Baloch separatists and tying them to foreign support. (Edited by Sanya Mathur) Also Read: India refuses to sign SCO joint statement over terror issue, Pahalgam & Jaffar Express attacks
