Pak Army chief Munir repeats anti-India rhetoric in U.S. with ‘jugular vein’ remark

Kashmir is the “jugular vein” of Pakistan, Pakistani Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir has said, repeating his anti-India rhetoric.

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The Pakistani army chief made the comments while addressing the Pakistani diaspora in Tampa, Florida. He is currently on a visit to the United States.

Weeks before the Pahalgam attack, Mr. Munir said Pakistan will not forget the issue of Kashmir, asserting, “It was our jugular vein.” His comments were trashed by India.

“How can anything foreign be in a jugular vein? This is a union territory of India. Its only relationship with Pakistan is the vacation of illegally occupied territories by that country,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had said.

In his address, Mr. Munir said Pakistan responded “resolutely and forcefully” during the recent conflict with India and Islamabad made it clear that any Indian aggression will be met with a “befitting reply”.

Mr. Munir is on an official visit to the U.S. and has engaged in high-level interactions with senior political and military leadership, as well as members of the Pakistani diaspora, the Pakistani army said in a statement.

According to highlights of his speech to the Pakistani community, Mr. Munir said Kashmir is “not an internal matter of India but an incomplete international agenda. As the Quaid-e-Azam had said, Kashmir is the ‘jugular vein’ of Pakistan.”

Mr. Munir said his second visit to the United States after a gap of one and a half months marks a new dimension in Pakistan-U.S. relations. He added that the aim of these visits is to take the relations on a constructive, sustainable and positive path.

Mr. Munir also said that Pakistan is extremely grateful to U.S. President Donald Trump, whose strategic leadership has stopped the war between India and Pakistan as well as prevented many other wars around the world.

New Delhi has been maintaining that India and Pakistan halted their military actions following direct talks between their militaries without any mediation by the U.S.

During the address, Mr. Munir added that a trade agreement with the U.S. is expected to attract huge investments and Pakistan has achieved significant successes on the international relations front.

In June, Mr. Munir had travelled to the United States on a rare five-day trip during which he attended a private luncheon with President Donald Trump, an unprecedented gesture typically reserved for visiting heads of state or government.

That meeting culminated in Mr. Trump’s announcement of enhanced U.S.-Pakistan cooperation in various fields, including an oil deal.

The Pakistani army said in a statement that in Tampa, Mr. Munir attended the Retirement Ceremony of outgoing Commander United States Central Command (CENTCOM), General Michael E Kurilla, and the Change of Command Ceremony marking the assumption of command by Admiral Brad Cooper.

Mr. Munir also met with Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine, “where matters of mutual professional interest were discussed.