India's subtle signal to US as Asim Munir spews nuclear venom from Florida

India on Monday appeared to subtly signal its displeasure to US for hosting Pakistan army chief Asim Munir after he used his visit to launch anti-India rhetoric and issue nuclear threats from American soil.

In his second visit to US in two months, Munir told a gathering in Tampa, Florida that Pakistan is a nuclear nation which will take "half the world down" if faced with an existential threat from New Delhi.

The MEA reacted strongly to Munir's remarks and pointed to the fact that they were made in US,
"a friendly third country".

"It is also regrettable that these remarks should have been made from the soil of a friendly third country," the MEA said.

The statement signalled India's silent condemnation of US for courting the Pakistani army chief, a man who is responsible for the Pahalgam terror attack. During his earlier visit just days after military hostilities with India, Munir met US President Donald Trump for lunch.

Separately, government sources told CNN-News18 that Asim Munir's remarks were part of a familiar pattern witnessed before.

Sources said that "whenever the US supports the Pakistan military, they always show their true colours."

Just days ago, the Indian Army had posted an old newspaper clipping from 1971 on X about decades of US military support to Pakistan. The post mentioned the headline of the article in the caption: “US arms worth $2 billion shipped to Pakistan since’54.”

US supplied Pakistan with significant amounts of military hardware and training as part of Cold War alliances (SEATO, CENTO) during the 1950s and 60s. India repeatedly objected, arguing that these weapons emboldened Pakistan’s military ambitions, seen in the 1965 and 1971 wars against India.

Until the late 1980s, US poured billions into Pakistan to fight the Soviets in Afghanistan, funneling both financial and military assistance.

It was only after Osama bin Laden was discovered in Pakistan’s Abbottabad in 2011 that American military assistance to Islamabad declined significantly.

In 2018, Trump even called out Pakistan for giving US nothing but "lies and deceit". “The United States has foolishly given Pakistan more than 33 billion dollars in aid over the last 15 years, and they have given us nothing but lies & deceit, thinking of our leaders as fools. They give safe haven to the terrorists we hunt in Afghanistan, with little help. No more!”

This signalled a new low in ties between US and Pakistan.

However, the relationship between US and Pakistan has been on the mend ever since Trump took office for the second term. Pakistan has strongly backed Trump's claims that he brokered a ceasefire during the military conflict with India. Munir, along with the Pakistan government, has also recommended a Nobel Peace Prize for Trump.

Moreover, Pakistan is willing to offer US access to rare earth minerals, cooperation over cryptocurrency and enhanced trade ties in a bid to boost ties with the new Trump

However, though the recent bonhomie between US and Pakistan appears transient, sources in India are pointing to a dangerous trend of American cooperation that has fuelled Islamabad's anti-India activities over the years.