Osama bin Laden in suit: Ex-US official lambasts Pakistans Asim Munir over nuke threat

Washington: Pakistan Army chief Asim Munir's "nuclear" rhetoric invited sharp reaction from former Pentagon official Michael Rubin who said that Islamabad was behaving like "a rogue state" with the war mongering. Rubin also likened Munir with Osama bin Laden, the terrorist behind 9/11 attack.

"Pakistan's threats on American soil are completely unacceptable," Rubin told news agency ANI. Munir has sparked a row by threatening of a catastrophic retaliation if Pakistan faced an "existential threat" in a future conflict with India.

'Asim Munir is Osama bin Laden in suit'

The former Pentagon official further said Munir's recent remarks were reminiscent of what the world has heard from the Islamic State. He also expressed apprehensions that the Pakistan Army chief's nuclear threats could provide cover for terrorist elements to "go rogue" with nuclear weapons. He further said that Munir's remarks are raising questions in many people's minds about whether Pakistan can fulfil the responsibilities of being a state.

"Americans look at terrorism through the lens of grievance...They don't understand the ideological underpinnings of many terrorists. Asim Munir is Osama bin Laden in a suit," he said.

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Pakistan's nuclear threat

Munir, who hold the rank of Field Marshal allegedly threatened that Pakistan could use its nuclear weapons to take down India and "half the world" if his country faced an existential threat in a future war with New Delhi. "We are a nuclear nation. If we think we are going down, we'll take half the world down with us," he said. He made the remarks while addressing Pakistani diaspora in Florida's Tampa in presence of US military officials. The Pakistani Army chief also warned that Islamabad would destroy Indian infrastructure if water flow to Pakistan was hit.