VOIWORLD/Sumit Chaturvedi
As tensions flare along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, Pakistan’s Army Chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, has reignited his anti-India nuclear rhetoric, warning New Delhi of consequences “beyond imagination.”
Speaking at the Pakistan Military Academy (PMA) in Kakul, Munir declared that there was “no space for war in a nuclearised environment.” Yet, moments later, he threatened a “decisive, beyond-proportions response” if India were to provoke hostilities.
“Should a new wave of conflict be triggered, Pakistan will respond far beyond the expectations of the initiators,” Munir said. “The reach and lethality of our weapon systems will shatter the misconceived immunity of India’s geographic vastness.”
He added that the economic and military losses inflicted would be “much beyond the imagination” of those responsible for “chaos and instability.” Munir further warned that any escalation and its “catastrophic consequences for the region” would be India’s responsibility.
A Familiar Pattern of Provocation
Munir’s remarks come at a time of deep irony — Pakistan’s own military is currently bombarding Afghan border regions, reportedly killing civilians amid clashes with the Afghan Taliban. Analysts say the army is under mounting pressure after a surge in Taliban-led attacks along the Durand Line.
This is not the first time Munir has chosen a moment of internal crisis to target India rhetorically. Just days before the Pahalgam terror attack, in which 26 civilians were killed, Munir had delivered a similarly provocative speech, calling Kashmir Pakistan’s “jugular vein.”
At an Overseas Pakistanis Convention in Islamabad earlier this year, Munir had asserted:
“Our stance is absolutely clear — Kashmir was our jugular vein, it remains our jugular vein. We will not forget it or abandon our Kashmiri brothers in their heroic struggle.”
While Pakistan faces growing instability at home and strained relations with Afghanistan, its military leadership appears to be reverting to an old playbook — deflecting internal crises through renewed anti-India posturing.
