New Delhi: Pakistan’s military chief Field Marshal Asim Munir’s threat to “take half the world down” along with India with a nuclear bomb is a “pattern” that indicates his country’s “true colour of aggression” whenever it receives US backing, government sources have told ThePrint.
“It shows that Pakistan is an irresponsible state with nuclear weapons. There is a real danger of these weapons falling in the hands of non-State actors,” a source said, highlighting Islamabad’s track record of helping other countries with nuclear material and know-how.
Munir’s latest broadside against India only confirms New Delhi’s fear that it would face more terrorist attacks from Pakistan under the cover of its nuclear capabilities, the government sources said.
Just a week before the terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam on 22 April, the Pakistani army chief had described Kashmir as Islamabad’s “jugular vein”, and defended the “two-nation theory” saying Hindus and Muslims are “different” in every aspect. Following Munir’s bombastic statement, Pakistan-backed terrorists gunned down 26 tourists holidaying in Pahalgam.
Three Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists behind the attack were eliminated in an operation codenamed “Mahadev”, Union Home Minister Amit Shah told Parliament on July 29.
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Asim Munir’s threat
India called out Asim Munir’s nuclear threat after ThePrint exclusively reported his statement of taking half the “world down with us”. He made the remark at a black-tie dinner hosted by businessperson Adnan Asad in the US city of Tampa on 9 July.
The Pakistani army chief was in Florida to attend the retirement function of General Michael Kurilla, the retiring commander of US Central Command (CENTCOM). It is the first time that nuclear threats have been made against a third country from American soil.
Islamabad’s success in building nuclear weapons was followed by its nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan running an international black market in nuclear weapons material. The network ensured nuclear material reached Iran, North Korea and Libya through the 1990s. In a televised speech in 2004, Khan admitted to the illegal dealings. He was subsequently pardoned by then Pakistani leader Pervez Musharraf.
After the dastardly Pahalgam attack, India launched Operation Sindoor, targeting terrorist complexes across the border, including Jaish-e-Mohammad’s Bahawalpur complex and the LeT’s facility in Muridke. Islamabad retaliated by targeting Indian military installations, which led to New Delhi to respond to the attacks.
After 87-hour of conflict, the two countries reached a bilateral understanding on 10 May to cease firing across the land, the sea and the air. The understanding has held since.
However, according to reports on the morning of 10 May, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had called for a meeting of the National Command Authority (NCA), the body that oversees its nuclear arsenal.
Munir has been feted by the US since then, visiting the country twice since the conflict halted. During his first trip, he was hosted by President Donald Trump for lunch at the White House. His visit to Florida was his second.
The American president has claimed on multiple occasions that his administration brokered the ‘ceasefire’ between India and Pakistan. While India has vehemently rejected the claims of involvement of any third party, Pakistan has nominated Trump for Nobel peace prize for the ‘role’ he played in ensuring the cessation of hostilities.
Apart from the military action, India took a number of diplomatic measures against Pakistan, including holding the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) of 1960 in “abeyance.” Islamabad has threatened that any attempt to divert the waters of the Indus would be considered an act of war.
Munir reiterated the threat during the dinner event in Florida, promising that any dam built by India on the Indus will be destroyed by Pakistan. The Pakistani army chief also said Pakistan is one of only two states created on the basis of Kalimah, the Islamic profession of faith.
(Edited by Ajeet Tiwari)