India-Pakistan War: Pakistan Army Chief General Asim Munir once again reignited tensions with India during a speech at the Pakistan Naval Academy in Karachi on Saturday. Accusing India of initiating military aggression twice without provocation, Munir termed New Delhi’s actions a “troubling absence of strategic foresight” and pledged a “decisive response” to any future hostilities.

In remarks reminiscent of those he made prior to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, Munir blamed India for destabilising the region and undermining Pakistan’s counter-terrorism efforts. “Despite provocations, Pakistan displayed restraint and maturity, reaffirming its commitment to regional peace,” he claimed, casting Islamabad as a “net regional stabiliser.” 

ALSO READ

Munir’s anti-India rhetoric

Munir also once again raised the Kashmir issue, calling it the “jugular vein” of Pakistan, a phrase he had used earlier to stir nationalist fervour just before the Pahalgam massacre. “At such a time, we must remember the sacrifices of our Kashmiri brothers who are struggling against India’s illegal occupation,” he said, reiterating Pakistan’s support for a UN-backed resolution on Kashmir aligned with the “aspirations of the Kashmiri people.”

The timing of Munir’s statements has drawn sharp criticism from Indian observers, who point to a pattern of escalatory rhetoric coinciding with or preceding acts of cross-border terror.

Pahalgam terror attack

Days after Munir’s earlier “jugular vein” rhetoric, a terror attack in Pahalgam on April 22 left 26 Indian tourists dead. The carnage was carried out by The Resistance Front, a Pakistan-based group with links to Lashkar-e-Taiba. The massacre led to an unprecedented diplomatic and military fallout, including India suspending the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan.

India responded with Operation Sindoor, a precision military campaign launched on the night of May 7–8. The operation targeted nine terrorist launchpads across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), carefully avoiding Pakistani civilian and military infrastructure. According to Indian defence officials, over 100 militants were eliminated in the strikes, severely degrading Pakistan’s jihadist network.

Operation Sindoor

Operation Sindoor marked one of the most significant escalations in Indo-Pak relations since the 2019 Balakot airstrikes. The offensive triggered retaliatory cross-border skirmishes and limited missile exchanges before a temporary ceasefire was brokered. Indian officials described the operation as a “necessary message” to Islamabad and an assertion of New Delhi’s red lines on terrorism.

ALSO READ

In the aftermath, India has doubled down on isolating Pakistan diplomatically while stepping up counter-terror operations along the Line of Control. The MEA has repeatedly stated that Pakistan must “act decisively against terror groups operating from its soil” if it wants any semblance of normalcy in bilateral ties.