"He is not an army chief but a terrorist leader": BJP's Hemang Joshi hits back at Asim Munir's 'nuclear threat'

New Delhi [India], August 11 (ANI): Bharatiya Janata Party MP Hemang Joshi on Monday strongly condemned Pakistan Army Chief General Asim Munir's nuclear threat, labelling him a "terrorist leader" rather than an army chief.
Joshi criticised Munir's statements, saying they consistently escalate tensions between India and Pakistan, often leading to unfortunate incidents.
"He is not an army chief but a terrorist leader. His statements always work to increase tension between India and Pakistan. We have also seen many incidents occur after he makes statements," the BJP leader told ANI.
Weeks before the Pahalgam attack on April 22, which claimed lives of 26 people, Munir said Pakistan will not forget the issue of Kashmir, asserting, "It was our jugular vein."
Speaking in the US, Munir said Islamabad will defend its water rights "at all costs" if India proceeds with dam construction on the Indus River.
"We will wait for India to build a dam, and when they do so, we will destroy it," Munir told members of the Pakistani-American community in Tampa, Florida, according to a report published Monday in The Dawn.
Pahalgam terror attack took place on April 22 in which 26 people were killed. The incident led to the launch of Operation Sindoor, in which, the armed forces targeted nine terror sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
Joshi emphasised that India will respond appropriately to any actions taken by Pakistan, urging them not to underestimate India's capabilities.
"History is evidence that we have seen this before. However, I feel that whenever they try to undertake such actions, India will respond appropriately. They should not underestimate India's capabilities anywhere," he added.
Munir had once again threatened India, warning that Islamabad would plunge the region into nuclear war and could take "almost half of the world" down if faced with an existential threat in a future conflict with New Delhi.
During his ongoing visit to the United States, General Munir also stated that Islamabad will defend its water rights "at all costs" if India proceeds with dam construction on the Indus River.
At the black-tie dinner in Washington, DC, hosted by Adnan Asad, Pakistan's honorary consul in Tampa, Munir told the gathering that the Indus River "is not the Indians' family property," adding that Islamabad has "no shortage of resources to undo the Indian designs to stop the river," the Dawn reported.
ARY news cited Munir as condemning "Indian aggression under Operation Sindoor," and termed it a grave violation of Pakistan's sovereignty.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Monday issued a strong statement in response to remarks reportedly made by the Pakistani Chief of Army Staff during his visit to the United States.
"Our attention has been drawn to remarks reportedly made by the Pakistani Chief of Army Staff while on a visit to the United States. Nuclear sabre-rattling is Pakistan's stock-in-trade," the MEA official spokesperson said.
The spokesperson added, "The international community can draw its own conclusions on the irresponsibility inherent in such remarks, which also reinforce the well-held doubts about the integrity of nuclear command and control in a state where the military is hand-in-glove with terrorist groups."
The MEA spokesperson further expressed regret that these remarks were made from the soil of a friendly third country. "It is also regrettable that these remarks should have been made from the soil of a friendly third country," the official said.
"India has already made it clear that it will not give in to nuclear blackmail and will continue to take all necessary steps to safeguard its national security, the MEA spokesperson affirmed," the MEA statement further said. (ANI)