Munir the Menace

Given the nature of the black tie dinner in Tampa where Pakistan army chief General Asim Munir held out nuclear threats against India and warned the world of an apocalypse, it would not have been feasible to ask the general about reports that he moved to a bunker during Operation Sindoor. Or about military airfields in need for repair weeks after the conflict. The attendees were no doubt carefully curated but if any did harbour a sliver of doubt, it likely remained unresolved.

Munir’s comments about Pakistan using nuclear weapons if it was going down and that it would take “half the world” along and threats about hitting dams India might construct on the Indus with missiles generated much discussion. Was the general – promoted to field marshal – making sure the ‘N’ word remains relevant? What was to be made of threats issued on US soil? Taking note of the fulminations, the Ministry of External Affairs said India will not succumb to nuclear blackmail and questioned the integrity of Pakistan’s nuclear command and control.

Pakistan’s leaders know that nuclear threats, even loosely issued, never fail to get the attention of the world which rightly views likely use of atomic weapons with alarm. Pakistan’s elites have for long convinced themselves that nuclear weapons are a magic mantra. But overuse has seen the shock effect wearing off. General Munir’s boasts sound more like rants of a tinpot dictator rather than a military leader who desires to be taken seriously.

Though nuclear weapons do not lend themselves to comedy, General Munir’s theatrics are quite over the top. He comes across as a real life version of Rastapopoulos, the bumbling tuxedo-clad villain in Tintin comics, whose actions give rise to hilarious episodes.

If the idea behind his Tampa address was to tell the Pakistani diaspora that their homeland’s ‘blackmail card’ is intact, his choice of words was hardly assuring. He might have only reminded the world that the keys to Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal are in the hands of unaccount­able and garrulous generals.

Yet, while bluster and a misplaced belief in religious and racial superiority makes Pakistan’s military prone to believing its own propaganda, the generals in Rawalpindi have hard facts to confront. The initial strikes by India on jihadi allies of the Pakistan army hit every intended target. The retaliatory missile strikes in response to attacks on Indian military and civil­ian facilities struck Pakistan’s military airfields and radar stations with devastating accuracy. Though India initially lost an unspecified number of fighters, the dam­age to Pakistani airfields was undeniable, brought out by satellite pictures that could not be dismissed as fakes.

It is possible General Munir sees an opportunity in the current turbulence in India-US ties or may count on China to step up supplies of military goodies to neutralise the ad­vantage India enjoyed during Operation Sindoor. While all of this is possible, the general, not unlike most of his predeces­sors, is not overly burdened with intellectual attributes. No doubt an adroit survivor – a primary requirement in Paki­stan where nothing is what it appears to be – the general however does not come across as particularly perspicacious.

The simile he offered, comparing Pakistan to a dumper crashing India’s shining Mercedes, brings out the Pakistan army’s dedica­tion to slowing, reversing and arresting India’s growth. But the comparison is an admis­sion of Pakistan’s parlous state. The truth is that despite the horrendous Pahalgam attack, there is no turning the clock back in Jammu & Kashmir. Pakistan can cause more pain but will not alter outcomes. Rather, it faces the prospect of severe chastisement.

No one can beat Paki­stan’s elites in constructing alternate realities, but General Munir may do well to con­sider that prudence lies in not testing India’s patience.

Asim MunirNuclear arsenalOperation SindoorPakistan army chiefpropagandaRawalpindi