Pakistan's Asim Munir issues fresh threat to India, labels terrorism as ‘legitimate struggle’

Asim Munir

Pakistani Army Chief Asim Munir has once again issued threats against India, reiterating his “Free Kashmir” rhetoric and invoking his inflammatory “jugular vein” remark without any evidence.

His comments come weeks after a ceasefire was declared between India and Pakistan, following nearly 100 hours of cross-border hostilities between May 7 and May 10, and heightened tensions following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack.

Munir described Pakistan as a “net regional stabiliser,” asserting that the country had “shown restraint and maturity” in response to what he calls “unprovoked” Indian military actions and has demonstrated its commitment to “regional peace and stability.”

The army chief was speaking at the Pakistan Naval Academy in Karachi on Saturday.

“Pakistan, despite grave provocations, acted with restraint and maturity, and demonstrated its commitment to regional peace and stability, which has led to Pakistan’s role as a net regional stabiliser," he remarked.

He further noted that Pakistan will deliver a “swift and befitting response” to any future aggression.

Munir also reiterated Islamabad's continued support for resolving the Kashmir issue “in accordance with United Nations resolutions and the aspirations of the Kashmiri people.”

He further claimed, without proof, that India is deliberately stoking tensions in the region, especially as Pakistan claims it is close to eliminating terrorism.

Munir, in his speech, once again raised the Kashmir issue, urging Pakistanis to remember the “sacrifices of our Kashmiri brothers struggling against India’s illegal occupation.”  “Pakistan strongly supports a fair resolution of the Kashmir dispute in line with UN resolutions and the wishes of the Kashmiri people,” he remarked.

Indian armed forces, between May 7 and May 10, struck multiple Pakistani air bases and dealt a crushing blow to its military capabilities, while also effectively repelling missile and drone attacks, under Operation Sindoor, which was launched in retaliation for the heinous April 22 Pahalgam terror attack.

Notably, this is not the first time Munir has made such inflammatory remarks and issued baseless allegations against India.

Early this April, nearly a week before the Pahalgam terror attack, he had declared Kashmir as Pakistan’s “jugular vein.”

“Kashmir is our jugular vein; it will remain our jugular vein; we will not forget it,” he had told members of the Pakistani diaspora abroad.

Less than a week after this statement, Pakistan-backed terrorists killed over two dozen male tourists in Kashmir’s scenic Pahalgam region.

Munir's speech, which highlighted differences between Hindus and Muslims, is reportedly believed to have served as a catalyst for The Resistance Front (TRF) to launch one of the deadliest attacks witnessed in Kashmir in recent years on April 22 which claimed the lives of 26 tourists, mostly civilians.