00:00Pakistan's Army Chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, has issued provocative nuclear threats
00:06against India during a visit to the United States.
00:10Munir warned that if Pakistan faced an existential threat from India, it would take half the
00:15world down with it.
00:17Munir, currently on his second US trip in two months following renewed tensions with
00:22India, has also reportedly targeted India over the Indus River waters, allegedly threatening
00:27missile strikes if India built a dam.
00:30He has claimed Pakistan had no shortage of missiles, asserting that the Indus is not
00:36India's property.
00:38Munir has also said that India is a Mercedes racing like a Ferrari, while Pakistan is a
00:43gravel-filled dump truck and asked who would lose in a crash.
00:48Indian government sources have sharply condemned these remarks, calling them reckless and dangerous.
00:54MEA sources have told India today that this is for the world to see how Pakistan is risking
01:00not just regional, but global security and there are clear reasons for concern over Pakistan's
01:07possession of nuclear weapons.
01:09Government sources have further questioned whether the US would hold Pakistan accountable
01:14for such provocative statements made on US soil, noting that President Donald Trump had
01:19repeatedly emphasised the importance of preventing nuclear escalation in South Asia.
01:24Take a look.
01:27Pranay Upadhyay is joining me live on the story.
01:31Pranay, what more do we know about Aasem Munir's statements and what is the Indian government
01:36saying in response?
01:37Anisha, very concerning remarks made by Pakistan's Sami chief, Field Marshal Aasem Munir from
01:44the United States, because the nuclear threat and many other concerning remarks pertaining
01:49to India and India's security, as well as the regional and global security, were made
01:53by General Aasem Munir, Field Marshal Aasem Munir from the US soil.
01:57And that is more concerning.
01:58The frequency with which Field Marshal Aasem Munir is travelling to the United States these
02:02days.
02:02He was there for the farewell ceremony of General Mike Corilla, who was the CENTCOM chief.
02:08Also, he called upon the chairman, Joint Chief of Staff, Dan Keynes.
02:12But also, he addressed an overseas Pakistanis gathering.
02:16There, he made these remarks reported by many other platforms from the United States.
02:21But clearly, this shows that, you know, how he is going overboard.
02:26You would recall, Anisha, that, you know, that was the overseas Pakistanis gathering where,
02:30you know, the Pakistani then Army chief, General Aasem Munir, made that infamous remark of a
02:37two-nation theory prior to Pelagam terror attack.
02:39And, you know, that remark of Field Marshal Aasem Munir, you know, is being, you know,
02:44held accountable for, you know, the Pelagam terror attack and, you know, perpetrators
02:49of Pelagam terror attack.
02:51It was a clear sign that it was his remark as well as his strategy which actually resulted
02:57into that dastardly terror attack.
03:00But having said that, the overarching issue of Pakistan using its nuclear weapon and the
03:05nuclear boogie, you know, that is a case of concern.
03:09And that's why, you know, the government source is telling us that that is the reason why people
03:13are concerned about Pakistan and Pakistan military having nuclear weapon, which is actually jeopardizing
03:19the regional security as well as the global security.
03:22Because the Pakistani nuclear weapon are not under the command and control of the civilian
03:28authorities, but are being, you know, controlled by the Pakistani military.
03:32And Pakistani military has an infamous record of proliferation.
03:35We know that the infamous, you know, A.Q.
03:37Khan network, which actually proliferated nuclear weapon and nuclear technology to countries like
03:42Iran, to Libya, to North Korea and various other countries as well.
03:45So, clearly, Pakistan's record as far as the nuclear weapons are concerned are highly irresponsible
03:51and more so if Pakistan gives such kind of statement, you know, such statement which
03:55are highly irresponsible and also risking the global security, then this is for the world
04:00to see that whether Pakistan can be trusted with the sensitive technology or not.
04:05And more so, Anishat, the last point that the risk remained.
04:08There has been global concern whether the Pakistani nukes are safe or there could be chances that
04:14the sensitive nuclear technology can go in the hands of the non-state actors as well.
04:19Pranay, stay on with me.
04:20This is a very important point that you are making about the safety of the Pakistan nuke arsenal,
04:27especially in light of what Asim Munir has said.
04:29Gaurav Savant also joins me on this story.
04:32Gaurav, Pranay also raising a very, very important point that when the Pakistani army chief makes
04:38these kind of statements on US soil, the entire globe should be worried about both how the
04:45Pakistani authorities are handling the situation, what the US is going to do about it and also
04:50whether Pakistan's nuclear arsenal is under control.
04:53So, Pakistan has been floating this nuclear bogey for a very long time.
05:00Pakistan knows conventionally it's a very weak country.
05:04It cannot take on India militarily.
05:06And that is why it uses terror as an instrument of its foreign policy under the umbrella of
05:12a nuclear threshold.
05:14However, India's Operation Sindur blew the bogey of Pakistan's nuclear bomb because for
05:21the simple reason, India not only targeted nine terror camps, including for the first time
05:26ever Bahawalpur and Muridke, but also targeted 11 Pakistani air bases.
05:33Now, Pakistan remains a nuclear weapon country.
05:36And despite Pakistan having its nukes, India was able to target Pakistan from Skardu in Pakistan,
05:42occupied Jammu and Kashmir, through Noor Khan, its main command and control center, through
05:47Sargoda, one of its most important air bases, 200 kilometers deep inside Pakistan, through
05:53Jacobabad, which remains a NATO strong base, where NATO, you know, aircraft are or Pakistani
06:01aircraft of Western origin are, through Rahim Yar Khan, through Mushaf, through Bholari in
06:08Sindh, and targeted six radar stations, including Pasroor, including Chunyan, including Malir
06:15cantonment in Karachi, while Pakistan remains a nuclear weapon state.
06:20Not only that, the Indus Waters Treaty was held in abeyance, despite Pakistan being a nuclear
06:25weapon state.
06:26Karam, when you're talking about all of this, that India has been able to, I'm asking
06:31you a question here.
06:33When, okay, please continue.
06:35Pakistan's nuclear bogey has been called out loud and clear under India's operation
06:42Sindhur.
06:43That is the message, unfortunately, many even in India don't understand.
06:47They get really rattled.
06:49Pakistan has said nuclear bogey.
06:51Are, Pakistan's nuclear bogey has blown its 11 basis on 11 basis.
06:55This is not the message.
06:56The Americans don't understand.
06:58Pakistanis use this as an excuse.
07:00And some Indians fall for that bogey.
07:03Unfortunately, that bogey for Pakistan will no longer work.
07:07And Indus Waters Treaty being held in abeyance is proof of that.
07:09So, Gaurav, my question to you in this situation is, how are we looking at the US's response
07:16and the world's response?
07:17Because as you said, India gave its response during Operation Sindhur.
07:21But when a Pakistan army chief makes threats of this kind from US soil, what are we expecting
07:28from our friends in other countries as a response?
07:33Gaurav.
07:34So, the fact remains, India will have to fight Pakistan state-sponsored radical Islamist terror
07:39alone because America will look after Donald Trump's interests.
07:44Right now, America is not even looking after its own interests.
07:47America will look after Donald Trump's interests.
07:49China will look after its own interests and use Pakistan against India.
07:53All of this is being done to stem India's spectacular rise, which is what India is aiming
07:59to do, is rise as a strong power, as a strong economic power, as a strong military
08:05power.
08:05And there will be all methods used, including using Pakistan, like it has happened for the
08:10past several decades, to stem India's rise.
08:14What will others do?
08:15Well, they will make the right noises.
08:17The usual suspects will raise the nuclear bogey.
08:20The usual suspects will continue to say, you know, this world is on a nuclear threshold and
08:24there is this tension and the nukes could go off.
08:27If the nukes had to go off, they would have gone off.
08:29Let's keep that in mind.
08:31Do keep in mind, 1998 Pokhran tests happened.
08:341999, a limited Kargil war was fought under that same nuclear threshold.
08:39It did not escalate.
08:402019, Balakot was bombed under the same nuclear threshold when Indian Air Force crossed the
08:45LC and hit across the Indian international border.
08:48And 2025 Operation Sindur is when Pakistan was hit across its length and breadth and the nukes
08:54could do nothing, including when the Kirana Hills area was targeted.
08:59So that is something that India should, the world has to understand.
09:03And the pressure needs to be on Pakistan to crack down on terror and not on India to engage
09:08with Pakistan.
09:09However, many within India put the pressure on our own system to remain engaged with Pakistan
09:15and not on Pakistan to crack down on terror.
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