Latest news with #OverseasPakistanisConvention
New Indian Express
10-05-2025
- Business
- New Indian Express
Making sense of Munir's madness
So, who blinked first? It might be too early for an informed analysis on the truce after four days of Indo-Pak conflict as information is rather sketchy. The ceasefire violation within a few hours further complicated matters. But the initiative for a telephonic call for talks on Saturday afternoon came from the Pakistani side. Pakistan's Director General of Military Operations called his Indian counterpart and both arrived on a ceasefire agreement. The seeds for the conflict were sown by Pakistan army chief Asim Munir as he recently called Kashmir India's jugular vein and regurgitated the two-nation theory that led to India's partition. "Our stance is very clear, it was our jugular vein, it will be our jugular vein, and we will not forget it. We will not leave our Kashmiri brothers in their heroic struggle," Gen Munir said while addressing the first Overseas Pakistanis Convention in Islamabad on April 17, attended by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Pakistanis living abroad. Also, Pakistan's footprint in the Pahalgam massacre of Indian tourists were recently revealed in a news media expose. For, a top US-based space tech company found a sudden spike in orders for high-resolution satellite images of Pahalgam and its surrounding areas barely two months ago from a Pakistan-based geo-spatial company, Business Systems International Pvt Ltd (BSI), the Print reported. The Pakistani firm is linked to federal crimes in the US. Between February 2 and 22, BSI placed at least 12 orders—double the usual number— with Maxar Technologies. BSI became Maxer's partner last year. Orders for Pahalgam satellite images started appearing on the portal in June 2024, months after the partnership deal. The deal is now off. There you have a smoking gun, possibly enough for the US turning the screws on Pakistan's hybrid leadership with Gen Munir at the helm. No wonder, US President Donald Trump sought to take credit for drumming some commonsense and forcing Pakistan to step back.
The Hindu
07-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Pakistan, Bangladesh and core identity questions
Pakistan reveals a tumultuous confluence of unresolved identity, ideological rigidity, persistent reliance on proxy warfare, and selective amnesia. Two events — seemingly distinct but deeply entangled — have reignited the foundational questions about what Pakistan is and what it seeks to remain. Events of contrast On one front, Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff, General Asim Munir, delivered a speech that resurrected the ghosts of the two-nation theory, the ideological foundation upon which Muhammad Ali Jinnah led the movement for the creation of Pakistan. In April, at the Overseas Pakistanis Convention in Islamabad, Gen. Munir declared that people of Pakistan are 'fundamentally different' from Hindus — by religion, by tradition, by culture, and by ambition. 'Our forefathers thought we were different in every possible aspect of life,' he remarked, invoking the foundational narrative of Pakistan's birth. His language and tone were nostalgic, divisive and arrogant — an impassioned appeal to safeguard Jinnah's ideological legacy from being forgotten. A day later, in Dhaka, Bangladesh asked Pakistan to account for the horrors of its disgusting past. During the first Foreign Secretary-level talks in 15 years, Bangladesh's Foreign Secretary demanded a long-awaited apology for the atrocities committed by Pakistan's army during the 1971 Liberation War. Even though the current regime in Bangladesh is courting Pakistan, the demand for confession of guilt is not merely ironic — it is a regrettable theatre of amnesia couched as strategic pragmatism. However, Pakistan's role during the birth of Bangladesh is an episode of colossal brutality that it still echoes in the nation's soul. Along with the apology for a horrendous campaign of systematic repression, Bangladesh has reiterated its demand for more than $4 billion in reparations — its share of undivided Pakistan's assets, including aid, pension funds and other state resources. The irony here could not be starker, perhaps even tragic. It is a moment rich in historical contradiction: while Pakistan's security establishment affirms the hypothesis that Partition was imperative and morally justified, its former eastern wing — once tethered by fraud and fiction — demands accountability for the violent consequences of that very Partition gone awry, before formal reconciliation can be pursued. A theory, its reinforcement, the gaps The two-nation theory argued that Muslims and Hindus were fundamentally distinct communities, defined by religious and cultural cleavages, and, therefore, could not function cohesively within a unified political framework once colonial rule ended in the Indian subcontinent. But this ideological assertion was not just a political device; it became a deeply embedded mythos, reinforced by the Pakistan state through textbooks and speeches. Yet, the theory contained its own seeds of disintegration. When the cultural and linguistic aspirations of Bengalis of East Pakistan were contemptuously denied, their votes in democratic elections utterly disrespected, and their cultural identity brutally suppressed by the Punjabi elite in Islamabad, the very logic of the two-nation theory turned in upon itself. Gen. Munir's speech, then, needs to be understood not merely as a reaffirmation of a discredited ideology, but as an act of forgetting — a deliberate effacement of South Asian history's inconvenient lessons. It is a return to the familiar comforts of a useless theory that promises certainty in a world increasingly defined by ambiguity and fracture. But such affirmations, no matter how forcefully delivered, do not address the economic, political and security challenges that Pakistan faces. Pakistan has never formally apologised for the atrocities against Bengalis, with successive regimes either denying or downplaying the violence, sometimes blaming rogue elements. Disturbingly, Pakistan appears ready to repeat the same pattern of repression in Balochistan, unapologetically demonstrating similar aggression, denial and unwillingness to engage politically with legitimate grievances. Instead of learning from its mistakes in East Pakistan, Rawalpindi seems trapped in a cycle of dictatorial responses to dissent, reinforcing the very divisions that once led to Pakistan's disintegration. The ideological orientation of the current Bangladeshi regime — emerging after Sheikh Hasina's ouster — represents not a principled shift but rather an opportunistic recalibration, driven by misguided beliefs that are causing significant tensions within the top echelons of the regime in Dhaka and in the relationship between the regime and many of the citizens, particularly as it seeks to distance itself from India and strengthen ties with Pakistan. Nonetheless, for most of the Bangladeshi people, the catastrophic events of 1971 are not matters of distant historical record; they are vivid inter-generational memories, reinforced by the collective trauma surrounding the nation's birth. So profound is the burden of this trauma that it has driven the Dhaka regime to demand both a formal apology and reparations from Pakistan, even as Bangladesh signals a pragmatic turn toward normalisation. However, the demand for moral and material accountability is not driven by vindictiveness, but serves as a cathartic plea for the minimal recognition of responsibility from the aggressor. That Pakistan continues to withhold such recognition is indicative not merely of ideological obstinacy, but of a deeper pathology. One must ask Pakistan's hybrid regime: what, precisely, has been gained through the repetition of ideology at the expense of self-examination? Has the invocation of the two-nation theory made Pakistan more cohesive, more egalitarian, or more at peace with its neighbours — or even with itself? The consequential question now is whether Pakistan can craft a national identity rooted in its own values and aspirations, not just in opposition to the 'Indian other'. The two-nation theory may have been the genesis of Pakistan, but its emotionalism and divisiveness make it a very poor and inadequate guide for national action. As military tensions escalate in the wake of Indian airstrikes on terror camps in Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack, the dangers of following the theory are thrown into stark relief. The hybrid regime, grappling with the riddle of the Imran Khan phenomenon, the ongoing insurgency in Balochistan, and strained relations with the Afghan Taliban, can find little solace in the obsolete concept of the two-nation theory. Vinay Kaura is Assistant Professor in the Department of International Affairs and Security Studies at Sardar Patel University of Police, Security and Criminal Justice, Rajasthan; and Non-Resident Fellow, Institute of South Asian Studies, National University of Singapore
News18
04-05-2025
- Politics
- News18
The Real Reason Behind Pak Army Chief Munir's Anti-India Speech: Exclusive From Imran Aide & Junoon Member
Last Updated: 'Asim Munir wants to take control of Pakistan before November 2025 to save himself from a US bill,' says Dr Salman Ahmad, a member of Junoon and an aide of former PM Imran Khan Dr Salman Ahmad, a member of Junoon band and a close aide of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) leader and former PM Imran Khan, in an exclusive interview with News18, explained the motive behind their Army chief Asim Munir's actions. 'Munir wants to eliminate Imran Khan. His speech before the diaspora was unwarranted. He spoke about sectarian division, like the British army wanted to divide and rule," said Ahmad. Addressing the Overseas Pakistanis Convention in Islamabad last month, just before the Pahalgam attack, Munir said, 'Our forefathers thought we are different from Hindus in every aspect…Our religion is different, our customs are different, our traditions are different, our thoughts are different, our ambitions are different, that's where the foundation of the two-nation theory was laid. We are two nations, we are not one nation." He also repeatedly termed Kashmir Pakistan's 'jugular vein". He added that Pakistan will not forget this and expressed solidarity with the 'struggle" of the region. He urged Pakistanis to teach their children a narrative of religious and cultural superiority. Munir also vowed to crack down on terrorists in Balochistan and termed it the 'destiny of Pakistan", stating that 'even ten generations of terrorists cannot harm Balochistan and Pakistan". 'ASIM MUNIR TRYING TO PROTECT HIMSELF' The Pakistan Democracy Act introduced in US Parliament has recommended sanctions against Asim Munir for visa restrictions and asset freeze, said Ahmad. 'Munir wants to take control of Pakistan before November 2025 to save himself from this bill," Ahmad said, adding, 'Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif is a puppet in the hands of Munir and his employees." WHAT NEXT FOR IMRAN KHAN? The Khan camp feels a campaign of terror will be launched against Khan soon. 'This campaign will also target Khan's supporters…In the coming days, incidents of violence, murder, physical torture and kidnapping will increase…These attacks will happen to silence those who bravely raise their voices against the injustices of Munir. Maryam Nawaz Sharif and their family have spoken in favour of the real Prime Minister Imran Khan," he said. Ahmad said that during the three-and-a-half years in power, Khan wanted military to be in barracks, just like India. 'But in 78 years, Pakistan has been taken over by a military cartel, from Yahya Khan to Pervez Musharraf to Munir. They controlled everything — economy, foreign policy and media and even control. But the Army doesn't understand civil matters." WHAT INTEL SOURCES SAY According to intelligence sources, Munir is desperate after a misadventure on India. 'Munir wants internal crises to handle backlash after Pahalgam. He also wants to control Khan. He is worried about his future because America is adamant to clear the bill on Pakistan democracy. He wants to capture Pakistan before that," they said. First Published: May 04, 2025, 14:34 IST
NDTV
30-04-2025
- Politics
- NDTV
Is Pakistan Army Chief "Missing" After Pahalgam Attack? Social Media Abuzz
Islamabad: Amid rising tensions between India and Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack, reports that Pakistan Army chief General Syed Asim Munir has "fled the country" have sparked hashtags and memes on social media. Source-based reports claim General Munir has gone 'MIA' (missing in action) following New Delhi's diplomatic offensive. These unconfirmed reports claim that the Pakistan Army Chief has either fled the country with his family or is hiding in a bunker in Rawalpindi, even as the country's political leaders have doubled down on their rhetoric against India. As the online chatter on Munir's whereabouts gained momentum, the hashtag #MunirOut started trending on the microblogging site platform X, with users on both sides of the border questioning the Pakistan Army Chief's absence in the media in the past few days. However, as the buzz intensified, the Pakistan Prime Minister's Office rushed to clear the air and posted a photo of General Munir with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, attending an event on April 26. "Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, Chief of Army Staff General Syed Asim Munir (NIM) and officers of PMA Kakul in a group photo with the graduating officers of 151st Long Course at PMA Kakul, Abbottabad. April 26, 2025," said the caption. Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, Chief of Army Staff General Syed Asim Munir (NIM) and officers of PMA Kakul in a group photo with the graduating officers of 151st Long Course at PMA Kakul, Abbottabad. April 26, 2025. — Prime Minister's Office (@PakPMO) April 27, 2025 But social media users questioned the timing of the post and the explicit mention of the date in it. One user even called it an "AI-generated false photo" posted to counter speculation over the Army Chief's absence. India's Actions Against Pakistan In the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 people were killed, India has taken a raft of measures, downgrading diplomatic ties with Pakistan. As intelligence reports reportedly place Pakistan-based groups behind the Pahalgam attack, New Delhi has suspended the Indus Water Treaty of 1960--a historic first-- and revoked all visas issued to Pakistani nationals. The Wagah-Attari border has also been closed amid a tense relationship between the two nuclear powers. The terrorist attack, one of the worst in the country in nearly two decades, came days after Gen Asim Munir described Kashmir as Islamabad's "jugular vein". Addressing the Overseas Pakistanis Convention in Islamabad on April 16, he spoke about Kashmir and said, "Our stance is absolutely clear, it was our jugular vein, it will be our jugular vein, we will not forget it. We will not leave our Kashmiri brothers in their heroic struggle." He told a gathering of Pakistanis who are based abroad that they were the country's ambassadors and must not forget that they belong to a "superior ideology and culture". India has blamed Pakistan for the attack after The Resistance Front (TRF), a proxy of Pakistan-based terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) claimed responsibility for it.
Russia Today
25-04-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
India is done playing nice. It's time to punish Pakistan
The gruesome massacre of innocent holidaymakers near Pahalgam in India's Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory has been condemned by all major world leaders including US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. At least 28 people were killed and several others injured in the attack. That it happened when US Vice President J.D. Vance was in India indicates the audacity of the attackers and their backers. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi who was on a visit to Saudi Arabia had to cut his trip short and rush back. The Indian security establishment immediately went into a huddle. Home Minister Amit Shah and the Army Chief rushed to Pahalgam to take stock of the situation on the ground. The terrorists have already been identified and their Pakistan links established. The three military chiefs are now discussing a response and are considering all options. This will not be allowed to go by. There is nationwide anger. There will be repercussions. A team of National Investigation Agency (NIA) officials are investigating on the spot. Recent events in Bangladesh, the infiltration and riots in West Bengal, and Pakistan army chief's venomous position on Hindus are indicative of a major game play. Addressing the Overseas Pakistanis Convention in Islamabad, General Asim Munir echoed the words of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founding father of Pakistan, who famously believed that Hindus and Muslims followed different philosophies, customs, and laws – making national unity impossible. Munir returned to the very roots of Pakistan's ideological foundation. 'Our religion is different, our customs are different, our traditions are different, our thoughts are different, our ambitions are different – that's where the foundation of the two-nation theory was laid. We are two nations, we are not one nation,' he said. He urged overseas Pakistanis to never forget that they belong to a 'superior ideology and culture,' and to pass down this ideology to future generations. 'You have to narrate Pakistan's story to your children so that they don't forget it,' he added. Hindu hatred is clearly visible from the modus operandi of the attack. Tell-tale signs of the Pakistani army's backing are emerging. Pakistan cannot stand the peace and prosperity emerging in Kashmir. The state has been incident-free since its special autonomy status was revoked in 2019. Tourist numbers have been going up. Public participation in elections have been very significant. Chief Minister Omar Abdulla has been working closely with the New Delhi government for betterment of the masses. But Kashmir's integration with India was not palatable to the Pakistani ruling establishment. Pakistan is an ideological state, and its army has taken up the mantle of the guardian of that ideology. India's 1.3-million-strong army cannot intimidate Pakistan, Munir said. He obviously forgets about the meek surrender of 93,000 Pakistani soldiers in that ended the two-week-long 1971 Indo-Pakistani war. 'China condemned the Pahalgam terror attack and said they oppose terrorism in all its forms. Hope China will then find courage to ask tough questions to their 'iron brother' Pakistan on why it continues to sponsor terrorism on directions of Asim Munir. Let this be clear. Mastermind of Pahalgam terror attack is not Hafiz Saeed or Lashkar e Tayyiba. Mastermind of Pahalgam Massacre is Asim Munir of Pakistan Army sitting in Rawalpindi. Pakistan Army and ISI need to pay for the bloody carnage in Kashmir. Modi Govt should act boldly,' tweeted senior journalist Aditya Raj Kaul, a Hindu Kashmiri. The Indian public is angered and demanding that the mantra 'never forget, never forgive' be put into action. For a long time, India has taken the soft line. Perhaps that is the reason some have taken India for granted. It cannot allow itself to be seen as a weak state. There are lessons to be learned from Israel. There are diplomatic, political and military options. All need to be exercised in tandem. Strong expressions of support and solidarity have been received from many governments around the world, which have unequivocally condemned the Pahalgam terrorist attack. The world is with India. Multiple nations have suffered from terrorism. Notably, major Islamic countries like Saudi Arabia and the UAE have spoken in favor of India. India's immediate response to the attack was broad-reaching. It has suspended the 1960 Indus Water Treaty, which allowed for water sharing providing irrigation to vast swathes of Pakistani land. All trade between the two nations, including through third countries has been suspended. The Integrated Check Post Attari, a strategic cross-border trade checkpoint and the only legal land route for trade, was closed with immediate effect. Pakistani YouTube and other social media channels have been barred in India. Cricket and other sporting events have been suspended. Pakistani nationals will not be permitted to travel to India under the SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme (SVES) visas. SVES visas already issued to Pakistani nationals are deemed cancelled, with any Pakistanis currently in India under an SVES given 48 hours to leave. Military, naval and air advisors in the Pakistani High Commission in New Delhi (the Pakistani diplomatic mission in India) have been declared personae non grata and given a week to leave India. India will be withdrawing its own defense/navy/air advisors from the Indian High Commission in Islamabad as well. Their posts in the respective High Commissions are deemed annulled. The overall strength of the High Commissions will be brought down to 30 from the present 55 through further reductions by May 1. India will use its financial and diplomatic muscle to teach Pakistan a lesson. There are other things that can be done. Indirect options India could use include supporting secessionist forces in Pakistan and giving more backing to the insurgencies in Balochistan, Sindh, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The Indian government's Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) reviewed the overall security situation in its meeting at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's residence and directed all forces to maintain high vigil. The armed forces have already launched Operation Tikka, a high-level anti-terrorism campaign. A few terrorists have already been eliminated. The Indian Army is giving a massive response to unprovoked firing at the Line of Control (LoC) between the India- and Pakistan-controlled parts of Kashmir. The ceasefire there is de facto annulled. Indian armed forces are already carrying out preparatory joint military exercises. Selective mobilization of the armed forces is possible and would send a strong signal. If it comes to that, India could exercise a massive punishing multi-domain strike. India has many unspoken options. It could activate operatives to strike military establishments within Pakistan. An artillery barrage against terrorist training camps across the border could be launched. In case of open warfare, Pakistan would run out of ammunition much faster. Much wider air strikes against a host of terrorist camps can be carried out. BrahMos and other cruise missiles can be used. The Indian Navy's aircraft carrier has already sailed into the Arabian Sea. A few submarines could follow or may already be in the region. The Indian air force is formidable, with the French Rafale fighter jets armed with Scalp-EG and Meteor missiles. The Su-30 MKI, upgraded MiG 29 and Mirage-2000 are also potent assets. New Delhi could coordinate with the Baloch Liberation Army and Pashtun insurgents in Pakistan to open multiple fronts. The escalation would have to be graded and carefully managed. A disproportionate Pakistan military response should be expected and prepared for. India could also work towards selective US- and Israel-style assassinations of terrorist leaders in Pakistan plotting against. Pakistan has few backers. Iran and the Saudis are not its friends anymore. China will at best act as a mediator. The US, Russia, Israel and Europe will back India for a controlled aggression. The bigger aim here is to show the Pakistani army in poor light. Call the nuclear bluff. Punishment should not be a one-off event. It has to be a continuous program from now on. Make it painful for Pakistan to support terrorism. Peace overtures like the Aman ki Asha ('Hope for Peace') joint media campaign must end. Meanwhile, greater attention must be devoted to building military capability. Increase air force fighter squadron numbers. Stop downsizing the army. Get more nuclear submarines. Increase nuclear warheads. Pakistan has also put its military on alert. Border areas are being sensitized by them for possible Indian attack. Pakistan has suspended the 1972 Shimla Agreement that had marked the LoC as the temporary border. Islamabad has closed its airspace for Indian airlines. Anti-India rhetoric has been boosted to raise the morale of the public. Pakistan has also announced that diversion of water due to it under the Indus Water Treaty will be treated as an act of war. It is a wait-and-watch situation. There are many Indian politicians, especially in West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh, who consider illegal Bangladeshi and Rohingya migrants as their political support base and are turning a blind eye to their arrival and settlement. It is time to take appropriate actions to curb this trend. There is a tendency for security forces and intelligence agencies to be less vigilant when there is an extended period of peace. It happened in Kargil. Kashmir is a different story. Vigil will be required for decades ahead. If these terrorists were within the region for nearly a month as reports indicate, then we need to look in the mirror. The Indian judiciary is often seen as soft against terrorists. This needs serious review. The public has to be sensitized much more against terrorists. The time to act is now. A soft reaction will invite further dastardly attacks.
