New Delhi: Pakistan military chief General Asim Munir has reignited longstanding tensions with India by invoking the ‘two-nation theory’, and calling Kashmir the “jugular vein” of Pakistan. Speaking at the inaugural Overseas Pakistanis Conference in Islamabad—held from 13 to 16 April—Munir declared that “no power in the world” could separate Kashmir from Pakistan.
“We are two nations, not one. Our forefathers thought we are different from Hindus in every possible aspect of life—our religions, customs, traditions, thoughts and ambitions,” Munir said.
His comments came days after a heated exchange at the United Nations, where India firmly rejected Pakistan’s latest reference to Kashmir during a Security Council debate on peacekeeping reforms. India’s UN envoy Ambassador Parvathaneni Harish had dismissed Islamabad’s statements as “unwarranted”, and said that Jammu and Kashmir “was, is, and will always remain an integral part of India”. He had also urged Pakistan to vacate the parts of the region it has “illegally occupied”.
On Balochistan: ‘Militants can’t break our resolve’
General Munir’s speech also turned inward, targeting domestic insurgencies, particularly in Balochistan, where calls for autonomy have been met with heavy military force. “Not even ten generations of terrorists can undo Balochistan or Pakistan. Do you think these terrorists can alter our nation’s future? If 1.3 million soldiers of the Indian Army haven’t been able to shake us, how can these militants break our resolve?” Munir said.
In his speech, he specifically named groups, like the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF), and Baloch Republican Army (BRA), dismissing them as incapable of threatening the country’s stability. “Do Pakistan’s enemies really believe that 1,500 terrorists can determine the fate of our nation? We will eliminate these terrorists and we will do it soon,” he remarked.
A familiar script
Munir, who has faced massive criticism domestically post the arrest of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader Imran Khan, has often brought up Kashmir in his speeches on nationalism to garner support for the Pakistan army, which is facing unpopularity in the country.
At an earlier Kashmir Solidarity Day event on 5 February in Muzaffarabad, Munir had made similar statements. Quoting Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Munir had said, “Cutting the jugular vein means the end of life.” India should know that its control over Kashmir “will not go on forever,” he had added.
He had also said that the struggle for Kashmir’s freedom is inter-generational, vowing that “Kashmir will one day be free” and become part of Pakistan. “Three wars have been fought over Kashmir, and if ten more are needed, we are ready.”
(Edited by Mannat Chugh)
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Why would they call an umbilical chord a jugular vein?