WASHINGTON, D.C. / ACCESS Newswire / September 9, 2025 / "We are a nuclear nation. If we think we are going down, we'll take half the world down with us," Pakistan's Army Chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, reportedly said during a dinner with the Pakistani-American community in Tampa, Florida, on August 9. According to media reports, Munir also identified Reliance Industries' Jamnagar refinery, which is the world's largest single-site refining complex in Gujarat, India, as a potential military target. New Delhi's Ministry of External Affairs has condemned the statement, which appeared in Indian media but was omitted from Pakistani officials' excerpts, as "nuclear saber-rattling." This appears to be a shift from strategic deterrence to economic intimidation, voiced on U.S. territory, which demands attention from American policymakers. The remarks underscore a troubling pattern of Pakistan's military leadership leveraging nuclear brinkmanship as a tool of political and psychological warfare. Munir's reported remarks represent an alarming misuse of American soil to escalate tensions in South Asia.
Pakistan's foreign office has maintained that it is a responsible nuclear state with a robust command and control structure, denying any intent to engage in reckless posturing. Yet, Pakistan's rejection of a no-first-use policy, its investment in tactical nuclear weapons, and its ambiguous red lines already heighten the risk of miscalculation in South Asia. Allowing such rhetoric to go unchallenged risks further emboldening the Pakistani military establishment.
This shift from military to economic targets threatens not only India's security but also global stability. Pakistan's nuclear doctrine, shaped by ambiguity and escalation, has long been a source of global concern. Munir's comments are not an isolated incident. Pakistan's military leadership seemingly portrays nuclear weapons as tools of leverage rather than deterrence. This behavior, facilitated by years of strategic indulgence from the West, underscores the need for a recalibration of U.S. policy toward the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.
See MEMRI Reports:
-Pakistan's Nuclear Arsenal: A Dangerous Legacy Of Strategic Indulgence, September 4, 2025
-Pakistan's Nuclear Posture And The Quiet Role Of The United States, August 29, 2025
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SOURCE: Middle East Media Research Institute
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