'It is my duty to avenge...': Asim Munir blames India again to mask his own failures, threatens retaliation

File Photo - Chief of Army Staff of Pakistan Asim Munir holds a microphone during his visit at the Tilla Field Firing Ranges (TFFR) in Mangla, Pakistan May 1, 2025. I

Pakistan Army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir has once again resorted to the military establishment’s oldest playbook -- blaming India for Pakistan’s crises while deflecting from his own failures. During a two-day visit to Brussels from August 10–11, Munir delivered a fiery address to the Pakistani diaspora, levelling baseless accusations that New Delhi was funding terrorism inside Pakistan.

“India is actively funding and supporting banned outfits like the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) to destabilise our country," Munir claimed, warning that Pakistan would not allow its “peace” to be destroyed. He further accused India of radicalism and threatened retaliation, declaring, “It is my duty to avenge the blood of every Pakistani.”

Such rhetoric comes at a time when Pakistan is reeling from spiralling militancy, a collapsing economy, and widespread political turmoil. Instead of accountability, Munir is doubling down on conspiracy theories against India to consolidate support at home and distract from rising public anger over inflation and terrorism.

Top intelligence sources told CNN-News18 that Munir is deliberately deploying a tougher anti-India line to shore up his authority and counter the popularity of jailed opposition leader Imran Khan. The same sources described him as a “jihadi in uniform” and “a general trying one trick every day” to stay relevant in Pakistan’s power structure.

The contradictions in Munir’s narrative are glaring. Only weeks after his second visit to Washington in two months, the United States formally designated the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and its Majeed Brigade as a foreign terrorist organisation. Many observers see this as part of Munir’s lobbying campaign to extract diplomatic wins abroad while continuing to weaponise the Baloch issue at home.

Munir also tried to portray Pakistan as a “balanced” player between Washington and Beijing, claiming Islamabad has close ties with both the US and China. In an eyebrow-raising remark, he even boasted that Pakistan was the first to nominate Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize, suggesting that “now the world is following our lead.” Such statements underline the desperation of Pakistan’s military establishment to project relevance on the global stage, even as its credibility erodes.

On the economic front, Munir pointed to Reko Diq and rare earth reserves as symbols of Pakistan’s untapped potential, claiming billions in possible revenue. But with Pakistan’s chronic corruption, mismanagement, and political instability, such promises ring hollow.

By once again scapegoating India, Munir is trying to mask the reality that Pakistan’s worst enemies are internal — from the TTP’s resurgence to the military’s stranglehold over politics and the economy. His Brussels speech may have drawn applause from carefully selected audiences, but it exposes the hollowness of Pakistan’s strategy: blame India, lobby Washington, and sell empty dreams at home.