Islamabad, Aug 30 Pakistan's nuclear arsenal has long been a source of global concern, with the country's military leadership repeatedly engaging in nuclear brinkmanship, using it to justify their conventional aggression and exert political leverage, a report cited on Saturday.
Since Pakistan conducted the 1998 atomic tests, it said, questions have persisted over the security, control, and purpose of its weapons programme.
“In a deeply unsettling turn of events, Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir has reportedly issued nuclear threats and identified specific Indian economic targets, all while on American soil. During a private dinner in Tampa, Florida, Munir is said to have declared that Pakistan could resort to nuclear weapons against India, ominously warning that if Pakistan 'goes down, it would take half the world down’ with it,” Washington-based think tank Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) detailed.
According to the report, Munir's nuclear threats in the presence of US military officials triggered outrage in India and raised concerns over Washington's failure to respond.
Munir's assertions that “We are a nuclear nation. If we think we are going down, we'll take half the world down with us” made during an address to the Pakistani diaspora in Tampa, have sparked renewed concerns about the stability of Pakistan's nuclear arsenal and the prudence of its strategic approach.
The report stated that India has highlighted the military's dominant role in Pakistan's governance, indicating that such aggressive posturing often coincides with heightened US support.
Citing a source, it stated that speculation is rife that Munir, bolstered by his warm reception in Washington, is attempting to position himself for a political takeover, pointing to the possibility of a covert or overt coup that could elevate the Field Marshal to the presidency of Pakistan.
“Munir's statements, and the subdued reaction from US officials, highlight a troubling dynamic: a nuclear-armed military elite operating with growing confidence, sustained by years of international legitimacy and strategic leniency. This is not an isolated incident, but part of a broader pattern in which external support has emboldened Pakistan's military establishment,” the MEMRI report noted.
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