‘Field Marshal’ Asim Munir of the Pakistan Army has claimed willingness to use nuclear weapons against India and ‘half the world’ in a speech delivered in the United States. That is a first in international diplomacy, as in earlier years the US would have taken offence at such a threat against a third country from its soil. However, Munir is presently a favourite of US President Donald Trump for having not only sought a Nobel Prize for him but also handing over Pakistan’s allegiance on a plate. So, the Army Chief has been given a pass to say what he likes.
This is troublesome for India because it indicates that Pakistan’s military has not learned the necessary lessons from its history of strategic mistakes. It is ironic that a nation that has developed terrorism as a weapon of state policy should get the US to condemn ‘terror groups’ in Baluchistan. The US is possibly hoping to reduce Chinese influence by getting involved in Pakistan’s affairs once again. But, as in the past, it will only be played by the Pakistani generals for funds and weapons transfer. The military knows that a peaceful and stable Pakistan will loosen not only its grip over power but also the wealth it has been looting ever since the nation was created. The change in the public mood over the years towards a more liberal society has led Munir to revive the fundamentalist Islamic political philosophy.
This does not augur well for the sub-continent as the likelihood of conflict is increased. Munir’s claim that India will be attacked from the East reveals his belief that Bangladesh will join him in achieving his strategic objectives. It brings to the fore the reality that, despite the Partition and the creation of Bangladesh, these regions of the sub-continent have not become separate entities. Their identity still revolves around India. Their provocative actions are basically an effort, symbolically, to be noticed by an estranged lover. Partition was an artificial construct and will continue to haunt the collective psyche till such time there is a resolution. They want Kashmir, the waters of the Indus River, and claim they are willing to go to war over this. Even if the war is a nuclear one that destroys ‘half the world’. They would rather die with us, rather than live apart from us. And this stalker has now found an enabler in Donald Trump!
