By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s top military commander cautioned India on Saturday against provoking further conflict between the two nuclear-armed rivals, declaring that there was “no space for war in a nuclearised environment” and vowing a decisive response to any aggression, as he celebrated his country’s “clear victory” in a brief but intense border clash earlier this year.
Field Marshal Asim Munir, the chief of army staff, delivered the stark warning during an address at a passing-out parade for cadets at the Pakistan Military Academy in the northern hills town of Kakul, a ritual that underscored the enduring tensions along the disputed frontier with India.
“I advise and firmly caution India’s military leadership that there is no space for war in a nuclearised environment,” Field Marshal Munir said. He urged New Delhi to resolve longstanding disputes in line with international norms and warned that Pakistan “will never be intimidated nor coerced by your rhetoric and shall respond decisively, beyond proportions, to even a minor provocation without any qualms.”
The remarks came amid lingering fallout from a flare-up in May that brought the neighbours to the brink of wider confrontation. Tensions escalated sharply in early May after an attack in Indian-occupied Kashmir’s Pahalgam, prompting New Delhi to launch “Operation Sindoor” on May 7. Indian forces targeted sites inside Pakistan, causing civilian casualties. India blamed Pakistan for the initial attack without presenting evidence, further inflaming hostilities.
Pakistan responded with its own “Operation Bunyanum Marsoos,” which involved heavy artillery and drone exchanges. The skirmishes lasted four days before a United States-led diplomatic push helped broker a ceasefire.
Field Marshal Munir framed the episode as a triumph for Pakistan’s forces. “The battle-hardened army, which has fought for over two decades in the sub-conventional domain, has successfully displayed its capabilities in the conventional domain, as well as by delivering a swift and decisive blow to the adversary,” he said.
Munir highlighted specific military feats, including “downing advanced Rafales, targeting multiple bases including S-400s, and showcasing multi-domain warfare capabilities,” asserting that “Pakistan has displayed its capabilities and will to defend.”
The army chief emphasised the national unity forged by the conflict. “People of hues and colours, age, gender, ethnicity or creed, stood firm and tall like a wall of steel, leading to a renewed spirit of patriotism and national fervour, which prevails across the length and breadth of Pakistan,” he said. “Our collective success has re-energised and strengthened the proud and illustrious memories of our earlier successes.”
Field Marshal Munir criticised India’s handling of the incident, saying its “eagerness to adjudge culpability, aversion to neutral investigations and staking self-created evidence was indicative of politicisation of terrorism for vested interests of the ruling regime.” In contrast, he said, “Pakistan, on the other hand, gained deep admiration of the people of Pakistan and the international community because of the legitimacy and the clear victory against a numerically superior adversary.”
The speech also touched on broader threats, with the army chief accusing India of “state-sponsored terrorism” and referencing “Fitna al-Hind and Fitna al-Khawarij” — terms used by Pakistani authorities for militants allegedly backed by India, including groups in Balochistan and the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan. “Our adversary’s use of Fitna al-Hind and Fitna al-Khawarij as hired guns exposes its hypocritical and heinous face to the world,” he said. “Equally disconcerting is the use of Afghan soil for terrorism in Pakistan.”
He called on the Afghan Taliban regime “to rein in the proxies who have sanctuaries in Afghanistan,” vowing that “every state proxy of our neighbour will be razed to dust, God-willing.”
Field Marshal Munir reaffirmed Pakistan’s support for Kashmiris, condemning India’s “oppression and widespread atrocities” in the valley and pledging continued diplomatic and moral backing for their freedom struggle in accordance with United Nations resolutions.
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