In a provocative address at the Pakistan Naval Academy in Karachi, Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff, Field Marshal Asim Munir, reignited tensions with India by describing terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir as a “legitimate and lawful struggle” and warned of a “befitting response” to any future Indian action. His remarks come just weeks after a brief but intense military standoff between the two nations during Operation Sindoor.
“What India labels as terrorism is, in fact, a legitimate and lawful struggle for freedom, recognised by international law,” Munir said while reaffirming Pakistan’s support for the Kashmiri separatist movement. He claimed that attempts to suppress the movement have only strengthened its relevance.
The statement marks yet another instance of Munir using diplomatic platforms to dog-whistle support for anti-India elements operating in Kashmir. India has long maintained that Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh are integral parts of the country, and that Pakistan-sponsored cross-border terrorism remains the primary hurdle to peace.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs has consistently condemned Pakistan’s rhetoric and actions as open encouragement of terrorism under the guise of self-determination. The two countries’ already strained relations have further deteriorated since India revoked Article 370 on August 5, 2019, restructuring the former state of Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories.
Munir also claimed that Pakistan had proven itself as a “net regional stabiliser,” alluding to its response following India’s Balakot airstrike in 2019 and the recent Indian precision strikes during Operation Sindoor after the Pahalgam terror attack. He asserted that Pakistan had acted with “restraint and maturity” while vowing a “swift and befitting response” to any miscalculated aggression.
Despite condemning India’s policies in Kashmir, Munir simultaneously reiterated Pakistan’s official stance of opposing terrorism in all forms, stating that the armed forces would continue to fight against it “to its logical conclusion.”
His speech, however, appears to reflect a contradiction—expressing support for what India calls terrorism while claiming to stand against it globally. Munir’s remarks are expected to draw strong diplomatic backlash from New Delhi, which has frequently warned Islamabad against using terrorism as an instrument of state policy.
