Pakistan army chief Asim Munir on Saturday repeated his anti-India rhetoric amid its ongoing border tensions with neighbouring Afghanistan. Warning Indian military of a “decisive response”, Munir’s unprovoked remarks came during graduation ceremony address at Pakistan Military Academy (PMA) Kakul in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.”I advise and firmly caution the Indian military leadership that there is no space for war in a nuclearized environment,” he said.He further warned of military and economic losses “beyond imagination” if a “fresh wave of hostilities be triggered””Should a fresh wave of hostilities be triggered, Pakistan would respond much beyond the expectations of the initiators. The resulting retributive military and economic losses inflicted will be much beyond the imagination and calculations of the perpetrators of chaos and instability,” he said. After a wave of warnings, Munir placed “onus of ensuing escalations” on India saying, “The onus of ensuing escalations, one that may ultimately bear catastrophic consequences for the entire region and beyond, will squarely lie with India.””Settle the core issues with Pakistan as per the international norms on the basis of equality and mutual respect. We will never be intimidated nor coerced by your rhetoric and shall respond decisively beyond proportions to even a minor provocation without any qualms,” he said. India has repeatedly warned of Operation Sindoor 2.0 against Pakistan-based terror groups in case of any aggression from the other side. During the May 7 military operations, India targeted nine terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, eliminating over 100 terrorists.The Operation Sindoor was launched in retaliation to the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 civilians on April 22. However, this is not the first time that Munir has made unprovoked statements against India. In the weeks leading up to the Pahalgam attack, Munir had stirred controversy by invoking the two-nation theory—the ideological foundation of Pakistan’s creation—urging citizens to inculcate in their children a sense of distinction from Hindus. He had further escalated tensions by describing Kashmir as Pakistan’s “jugular vein,” a phrase long associated with Islamabad’s territorial ambitions. Just days after the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, which claimed 26 lives, Munir reiterated his stance, declaring, “The two-nation theory was based on the fundamental belief that Muslims and Hindus are two separate nations, not one. Muslims are distinct from Hindus in all aspects of life – religion, customs, traditions, thinking and aspirations.”
