Asim Munir, the head of the Pakistani army, is now in the United States. During his journey, he is said to have said something that the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) of India strongly disagrees with. According to news sources, Munir made a nuclear threat while speaking to the Pakistani diaspora in Tampa, Florida, on a possible future conflict with India.
Sources say Munir said, “We are a nuclear nation.” If we think we’re going down, we’ll take half the world with us. There has been a lot of news coverage of these comments, and they have caused a diplomatic dispute.
The Indian MEA quickly sent out a statement on Monday. The ministry said the comments were an example of Pakistan’s “nuclear sabre-rattling,” which they said is a “stock-in-trade” for the country next door. The MEA also said they were very worried about the safety of Pakistan’s nuclear command and control, especially since they said the Pakistani military and terrorist groups had a “hand-in-glove” relationship.
The MEA said it was “regrettable” that such comments were made from the “soil of a friendly third country,” which was an obvious allusion to the United States. The ministry said again that India would not be scared by “nuclear blackmail” and will do whatever it takes to protect its national security.
India’s full statement said, “We have heard reports of comments made by the Pakistani Chief of Army Staff during a visit to the United States. Pakistan is known for making threats with nuclear weapons. The international community may come to its own conclusions about how irresponsible these comments are. They also support the long-held reservations about the safety of nuclear command and control in a country where the military works with terrorist groups. It is equally unfortunate that these comments were made from the territory of a friendly third nation. India has previously made it clear that it will not give in to nuclear threats. We will keep doing everything we can to protect our national security.
Sources and analysts quoted in the stories say that this kind of confrontational language is typical of Pakistan’s military commanders. When they get assistance and a warm welcome from the US, they often exhibit what is called “their true colours of aggression.” People think that this behavior is a sign that Pakistan isn’t a democracy because the military is thought to be in charge of the country. One source even thought that Munir might try to become president by staging a “silent or open coup” once the US visit gave him more confidence.
This event shows how tense things are between India and Pakistan and makes people throughout the world very worried about what nuclear-armed countries say and do.