Asim Munir should be arrested, Pakistan designated 'state sponsor of terror': Ex-Pentagon official

Pakistan's Chief of Defence Forces Asim Munir

Former Pentagon official Michael Rubin hit out at Pakistan for its alleged terror links and said that the country should be formally designated a 'state sponsor of terrorism'.

Rubin also called for Pakistan army chief Asim Munir's arrest while objecting to his White House visit in June. Munir was recently elevated as Pakistan's first Chief of Defence Forces, a move that places both military and defence authority under one individual for the next five years.

"There is no strategic logic for the United States embracing Pakistan. It should be designated a state sponsor of terrorism, period. If Asim Munir comes to the US, he should be arrested rather than honoured," he told news agency ANI.

The ex-Pentagon official also said that the US owes India a "vocal apology" for its recent actions, including the 50% additional tariffs imposed on Indian imports in August over New Delhi's purchase of Russian oil.

"What we need is quiet diplomacy behind the scenes, and perhaps, at some point, a more vocal apology from the United States for the way we have treated India over the past year ... President Donald Trump doesn't like to apologise, but the interests of the United States, world democracies are much more important than one man's ego, no matter how inflated it is," Rubin said.