‘When a Muslim puts their trust in Allah…’: Munir again spins fake victory claims, gives religious twist to India-Pakistan clash

Munir’s religious remarks and claims on India–Pakistan conflict

Pakistan Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir has again invoked religious language while referring to the recent India–Pakistan confrontation, following New Delhi’s launch of Operation Sindoor in response to the Pahalgam terror attack, which left 26 people dead.

Munir said, according to Dawn, “During the war with India, Allah helped us raise our heads high. When a Muslim puts their trust in Allah, He turns the dirt thrown at the enemy into missiles.”

Field Marshal Munir also reiterated Pakistan’s position after the brief but intense exchange in May, stating that “Pakistan will respond to those who impose war on it in the same way as it did in May.”

“This army is an army of Allah and our soldiers fight in His name,” he added.
He made the remarks during a luncheon hosted for Jordan’s King Abdullah II, who is on a two-day visit to Islamabad.

“I advise and firmly caution India’s military leadership that there is no space for war in a nuclearised environment,” he further added.

Reacting to Munir’s statements, former Indian Foreign Secretary Kanwal Sibal cautioned that the Pakistan army chief’s repeated use of religious language while referring to India carries serious implications.

Sibal noted that “Asim Munir repeatedly speaks of the conflict with India in religious terms, which implies a jihad against India without invoking the term.” He argued that such rhetoric “is a bow to jihadi groups in Pakistan and gives legitimacy to their agenda.”

Sibal said Munir is taking a substantial strategic risk, “no doubt encouraged by what he thinks is Trump’s personal endorsement of him and the defence pact with Saudi Arabia, which gives a regional role to the Pakistan military.”

He added that constitutional amendments in Pakistan have further strengthened the army chief’s authority, “With the amendment of Pakistan’s constitution, Munir has consolidated his position of primacy in Pakistan’s political system, which means his aggressive instincts and risk-taking will come more into play.”

Calling the situation dangerous, Sibal said, “A military chief with a jihadi mindset and armed with political power is a dangerous mix. The dump truck risks veering off the road in an attempt to hit the Mercedes.”

Munir, meanwhile, has said that he performs his duties according to his faith: “This army is an army of Allah and our soldiers fight in His name,” while asserting that it was by divine grace that Pakistan “defeated its enemy.”

India's Chief of Army Staff General Upendra Dwivedi on Monday described India’s counterterror operation Sindoor as “just a trailer,” emphasising that the armed forces remain fully prepared for any future contingencies. He made the remarks at the curtain-raiser for the Chanakya Defence Dialogues in New Delhi.