Islamabad/New Delhi, Apr 17 (UNI) Spouting the usual anti-India rhetoric, Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff Gen Asim Munir expressed his staunch support for the ‘Two Nation Theory’, and described the Indian territory of Jammu and Kashmir as Pakistan’s “jugular vein".

In his address to overseas Pakistanis, the COAS expressed his support for the ‘Two Nation Theory’ which led to the Partition of India in 1947 on the premise that Hindus and Muslims can’t co-exist, leading to the creation of Pakistan.

“We are two nations, not one. Our forefathers thought we are different from Hindus in every possible aspect of life — our religions, customs, traditions, thoughts and ambitions,” Munir said.

While the Two Nation Theory was debunked in 1971 upon Bangladesh’s liberation from Pakistan, Islamabad continues to use it as a tool of governance and its ideological identity to distract the masses from the economic instability plaguing the nation.

Munir also reiterated Islamabad’s usual line regarding J&K, calling Kashmir the country’s “jugular vein” and pledging Pakistan’s unwavering support to what he described as the “heroic struggle” of Kashmiri people. “It was our jugular vein, it will be our jugular vein, we will not forget it,” he said, adding that Pakistan will never abandon its support for Kashmir.

The COAS’ comments came days after India’s UN envoy Ambassador Parvathaneni Harish termed Pakistan’s statements on Kashmir as “unwarranted”, and reiterated New Delhi’s position on J&K, saying that the region “was, is, and will always remain an integral part of India”.

The Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal today dismissed Gen Munir's statement on Kashmir, and said: “How can anything foreign be in a jugular vein? This is a union territory of India. Its only relationship with Pakistan is the vacation of illegally occupied territories by that country.”

General Munir also resorted to posturing on the recent attacks by the Baloch separatist forces in Balochistan region, saying the Pakistan Army will "eliminate" all militants. He specifically called out groups like the BLA, BLF, and BRA, stating that they were incapable of destabilising Pakistan.

The COAS' rhetoric and military posturing, combined with the inflammatory remarks against India come amid massive criticism levelled at him for the poor security situation in Pakistan, in light of the frequent terror strikes by the TTP in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region, hostile relations with Afghanistan and Iran, and armed attacks by Baloch separatists at military outposts in the province and the military’s inability to handle them.



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