ABBOTTABAD: Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir on Saturday cautioned India that there was “no space for war in a nuclearised environment” as he hailed Pakistan’s “clear victory” during the May conflict with the neighbouring country.

Tensions between India and Pakistan escalated sharply in early May after an attack in Indian-occupied Kashmir’s Pahalgam prompted New Delhi to launch “Operation Sindoor” on May 7, targeting sites inside Pakistan and causing civilian casualties.

Pakistan later launched a retaliatory “Operation Bunyanum Marsoos”, leading to heavy artillery and drone exchanges before a US-led push helped broker a ceasefire.

Addressing a passing out parade at the Pakistan Military Academy (PMA) in Kakul, COAS Munir said: “I advise and firmly caution India’s military leadership that there is no space for war in a nuclearised environment.”

Asks Afghanistan to choose mutual security over violence, rein in terrorists

Calling on New Delhi to settle core issues as per international norms, the army chief asserted: “We will never be intimidated nor coerced by your rhetoric and shall respond decisively, beyond proportions, to even a minor provocation without any qualms.

“The onus of ensuing escalations — one that may ultimately bear catastrophic consequences for the entire region and beyond — will squarely lie with India.”

“Should a fresh wave of hostilities be triggered, Pakistan would respond much beyond the expectations of the initiators,” COAS Munir warned.

“With diminishing distinctions between conflict and communication zones, the reach and lethality of our weapon systems will shatter the misconceived immunity of India’s geographic warspace.

“The deeply hurting retributive military and economic losses inflicted will be much beyond the imagination and calculation of the perpetrators of chaos and instability,” he said.

“The battle-hardened army, which has fought for over two decades in the sub-conventional domain, has successfully displayed its capabilities in the conventional domain, as well as by delivering a swift and decisive blow to the adversary,” he said.

“Ever since the creation of Pakistan, the armed forces, with full support of the nation, have defended the external and internal frontiers of the country with unfailing resolve, conviction and pride.

“The most recent display of this spirit and resolve of the armed forces of Pakistan during Marka-i-Haq [and] Opera­tion Bunyanum Marsoos has further strengthened the trust and confidence of the people of Pakistan in the competence and far-reaching capabilities of its armed forces by neutralising all threats with remarkable professionalism,” COAS Munir said, referring to the four-day May conflict with India.

“Downing advanced […] Rafales, targeting multiple bases including S-400s, and showcasing multi-domain warfare capabilities, Pakistan has displayed its capabilities and will to defend,” COAS Munir asserted.

“Our collective success has re-energised and strengthened the proud and illustrious memories of our earlier successes. Pakistan once again came out victorious against a treacherous enemy marked by strategic blindness and naivety, and filled with hubris and rhetoric about its misguided hegemonic ambitions.

“India’s eagerness to adjudge culpability, aversion to neutral investigations and staking self-created evidence was indicative of politicisation of terrorism for vested interests of the ruling regime,” he added.

COAS Munir went on to say, “Pakistan, on the other hand, gained deep admiration of the people of Pakistan and the international community because of the legitimacy and the clear victory against a numerically superior adversary.

Efforts for economy

The army chief also spoke on Pakistan’s economy, hailing the government’s “relentless efforts” for relative stability and noting that positive economic indicators were attracting investments from across the world.

“The treasures hidden beneath our land for decades have started to surface as a silver lining for our bright future. Our vibrant youth, filled with talent, is making marvels in a multitude of domains.”

He also reiterated his cautions about social media, calling on people to be cognisant of threats “proliferating via digital media, populist anarchism and social subversion”.

“Unfortunately, in the post-truth era in which we live, perceptions bear more weight than reality and half-truths spread faster than facts. Your strength will lie in thinking critically and discerning fact from fiction,” he said, urging them to not become “tools of disinformation”.

‘Mutual security over perpetual violence’

The army chief also reiterated Pakistan’s stance that India “continues with state-sponsored terrorism”. “Our adversary’s use of Fitna al-Hind and Fitna al-Khawarij as hired guns exposes its … hypocritical and heinous face to the world. Equally disconcerting is the use of Afghan soil for terrorism in Pakistan,” he said.

Fitna al-Khawarij is a term the state uses for the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan and Fitna al Hindustan for Balochistan-based militant groups.

Urging the people of Afghanistan to choose mutual security over perpetual violence, COAS Munir urged the “Afghan Taliban regime to rein in the proxies who have sanctuaries in Afghanistan”.

“Rest assured, like our victory in the conventional domain, every state proxy of our neighbour will be razed to dust, God-willing,” he asserted, vowing to never bow before “misguided terrorists having a perverted interpretation of Islam”.

Speaking on occupied Kashmir, the army chief said India’s “oppression and widespread atrocities” in the valley will also come to an end. He reaffirmed Pakistan’s diplomatic and moral support for the Kashmiris’ freedom struggle till the resolution of the dispute in accordance with United Nations’ resolutions.

During his address, COAS Munir noted that the world was witnessing “increased fragility and volatility, with a discernible shift towards violence as an instrument for attaining political objectives”.

“Amidst the chaos, Pakistan has successfully emerged as a net regional stabiliser. Our relations with key global and regional powers, particularly Muslim countries, have further strengthened.”

The army chief stated that Pakistan had persistently “proven to be a key contributor toward peace and stability in the region and beyond”, highlighting Pakistan’s armed forces’ contributions to UN peacekeeping missions.

He also mentioned the Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, terming it a “reinforcement and formalisation of Pakistan-Saudi brotherhood and a step towards ensuring peace and stability in the Middle East and South Asia”.

COAS Munir said Islamabad had also made “humble contributions towards peaceful steering of the negotiations with Iran”, adding that Pakistan’s relations with all Muslim countries were “thriving at an exponential” rate.

Hailing Pakistan’s historic “all-weather strategic cooperative partnership” with China, the army chief also noted: “Re-energisational and strong and growing relations with the United States of America are an encouraging and welcome development.”

Published in Dawn, October 19th, 2025