Overview

• At a Tampa event Field Marshal Asim Munir reportedly warned that Pakistan would “take half the world down with us” if faced with an existential threat and threatened Indian dams and industrial sites.
• India’s Ministry of External Affairs denounced Munir’s remarks as irresponsible “nuclear sabre-rattling” and regretted they were made on the soil of a friendly third country.
• Former Pentagon official Michael Rubin likened Munir to “Osama bin Laden in a suit,” calling for punitive steps including revoking Pakistan’s non-NATO ally status and considering measures to secure its nuclear arsenal.
• State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce affirmed that US relations with both India and Pakistan remain unchanged and highlighted continued counter-terrorism cooperation after Munir’s visit.
• Munir’s comments have intensified debate over US strategic engagement in South Asia and raised fresh concerns about the command-and-control and security of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons.