WASHINGTON: Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir has said that the involvement of India’s intelligence agency, RAW, in “transnational terrorist activities” is a matter of grave global concern.
Addressing the Pakistani community in the United States, Field Marshal Munir cited the killing of a Sikh leader in Canada, the case of eight Indian naval officers in Qatar, and incidents such as that of Kulbhushan Jadhav as examples of RAW’s activities.
Pakistan’s Army Chief said India seeks to present itself as a world leader, but in practice, it is “nothing of the sort.”
Field Marshal Munir said Pakistan has waged a successful diplomatic campaign against India’s “discriminatory and duplicitous” policies.
The Army Chief said that the recent Indian aggression, carried out under “shameful pretences”, was a grave violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty that martyred innocent civilians. “India remains bent on creating instability in the region,” Field Marshal Munir said.
He warned that the Indian aggression has pushed the region to the brink of a dangerously flammable conflict where any miscalculation could lead to a major mistake.
Field Marshal Munir expressed gratitude to US President Donald Trump, saying his “strategic leadership” had prevented an India–Pakistan war and halted other ongoing conflicts around the world.
The Army Chief said Pakistan had responded to Indian provocation with “full resolve and strength” and prevented a wider conflict. Any future aggression from India, he stressed, would be met with a “crushing response.”
On Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, the COAS said the dispute was not India’s internal matter but an “unfinished international agenda” with standing United Nations Security Council resolutions.
Quoting Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the Army Chief called Kashmir Pakistan’s “jugular vein” and reaffirmed Islamabad’s support for the UN Security Council resolutions’ implementation.
On foreign policy, Field Marshal Munir said his second visit to the United States in six weeks reflected “a new dimension” in Pakistan–US relations, aimed at placing bilateral ties on a “constructive, sustainable, and positive path.”
Field Marshal Munir said a possible trade agreement with the US was expected to bring substantial investment, while various memorandums of understanding with the United States, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and China were being implemented to promote economic cooperation.
Commenting on regional security, the Army Chief said the “ongoing genocide in Gaza” was one of the worst human tragedies, with serious implications globally and regionally.
He added that several terrorist groups, including the “mischief of the Khawarij,” were operating from Afghanistan against Pakistan.
“At present, Pakistan is the last fortress against terrorism,” he said, vowing no sympathy for terrorists and pledging they would face justice with “full force.”
Field Marshal Munir praised overseas Pakistanis as a “source of pride and dignity,” describing them as a “brain gain” rather than a “brain drain.”
The Army Chief said their devotion to the motherland was an undeniable reality, noting that they were often the first to respond in times of natural disaster.
He urged them to verify information before sharing it on social media.
Highlighting Pakistan’s potential, Field Marshal Munir said 64 percent of the country’s population consisted of talented youth who would play a pivotal role in shaping the country’s future.
He said Pakistan’s recent diplomatic and security successes were the result of “Allah’s blessing, the collective effort of the nation, the foresight and resolve of political leadership, and the professional skill of our brave armed forces.”
“The question before us is no longer if we will rise, but how soon and with how much strength,” Field Marshal Munir said, urging unity to “move forward with renewed resolve and purpose.”
