Pakistan's army chief, General Syed Asim Munir, has shifted from a behind-the-scenes role to a more public and assertive position in response to rising tensions with India.
The recent deadly terrorist attack in Indian-controlled Kashmir targeting Hindu tourists served as the catalyst for General Munir's change in approach.
General Munir's recent address, delivered atop a tank during military exercises, contained a stern warning to India against any military misadventure, promising a swift and forceful response.
General Munir's actions are viewed as an attempt to project strength and regain public support amidst Pakistan's political and economic challenges. His hardline stance on India is rooted in his experience leading intelligence agencies and his belief in the religious nature of the conflict.
Until recently, Pakistan’s most powerful man preferred to stay behind the scenes, tightly controlling his public profile and limiting his pronouncements mostly to choreographed addresses at set-piece military events.
But after the deadly terrorist attack nearly two weeks ago in the Indian-controlled part of Kashmir, Pakistan’s army chief, Gen. Syed Asim Munir, has stepped to the center of sharpening tensions between Pakistan and India.
As pressure has built in India for a forceful response to the attack, which killed more than two dozen Hindu tourists near the town of Pahalgam, General Munir has increasingly shaped Pakistan’s tone with his own tough talk.
On Thursday, standing atop a tank during a military exercise, General Munir addressed troops in the field. “Let there be no ambiguity,” he said. “Any military misadventure by India will be met with a swift, resolute and notch-up response.” That was a reference to Pakistan’s vow to match or exceed any Indian strike.
General Munir’s comments have been seen in India and Pakistan as reflecting his need to project strength and rally public support after his country has struggled for years with political divisions and economic hardship. Those troubles have dented the steadfast loyalty that Pakistanis had felt for decades toward the military establishment, which has long had a hidden hand in guiding the country’s politics.
But General Munir’s response appears to be more than a political calculation. Analysts describe him as a hard-liner on India, with views shaped by his time leading Pakistan’s two premier military intelligence agencies and by his belief that the long-running conflict with India is at heart a religious one.
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