Michael Rubin, ex-Pentagon official, has condemned Pakistan’s army chief Asim Munir’s statement and nuclear threat during his US visit yesterday for an event. Rubin called him reminiscent of Osama bin Laden.
During an interview, Rubin said, “Pakistan’s threats on American soil are completely unacceptable.” He also added that Pakistan’s threat has raised serious concerns over whether Pakistan can be a responsible state or if the time has come to put an end to it. He said that hearing the Pakistani Marshal speak took him down memory lane to when he heard terrorist Osama bin Laden speak. He even felt that Munir was “Osama in a suit.”
“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,” Rubin remarked.
This statement came after the Pakistani army chief addressed an event in Tampa, Florida, where he clearly said, “We are a nuclear nation. If we think we are going down, we’ll take half the world down with us.”
Talking about the US response to such a statement, Rubin said that the fact that the US General didn’t walk out of any meeting with Munir sends a clear message. He further noted that there is absolutely no reason to look at Pakistan as a major non-NATO ally; rather, the country should be listed as a state sponsor of terrorism.