Pakistan Army Chief Threatens India with Nuclear Retaliation
Pakistan’s Army Chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, issued a chilling warning during a private dinner in Tampa, Florida. Speaking to attendees, he said that if Pakistan faced an existential threat, “we are a nuclear nation; if we think we are going down, we’ll take half the world down with us.” Munir further warned that Pakistan would destroy any Indian dams built on the Indus River. “When it does so, we will destroy it with ten missiles,” he declared, adding that “we have no shortage of missiles.” This marks one of the most aggressive public threats by a Pakistani military leader in recent years, and the first of its kind on U.S. soil.
Context and Tensions
Munir’s comments come at a time of heightened tensions following the Pahalgam terror attack, after which India suspended cooperation under the Indus Waters Treaty — a decades-old water-sharing agreement brokered by the World Bank in 1960. The treaty covers three eastern rivers for India and three western rivers for Pakistan. Any disruption is considered a serious escalation in bilateral ties.
Diplomatic Implications
This was Munir’s second visit to the U.S. in two months. He had earlier attended a luncheon with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House. The statement is expected to trigger strong diplomatic reactions, as it directly threatens civilian infrastructure and raises nuclear tensions in South Asia. Analysts believe such rhetoric could further isolate Pakistan internationally and put additional strain on its already fragile economy.
