During his second visit to the U.S., Pakistan Army Chief General Asim Munir reportedly issued a chilling statement at a Florida dinner: “We are a nuclear nation. If we think we are going down, we'll take half the world down with us.” The Indian Ministry of External Affairs swiftly condemned the remarks as irresponsible nuclear sabre-rattling, calling Pakistan an “irresponsible state with nuclear weapons,” and criticized the choice of delivering such rhetoric on American soil.

Adding fuel to the diplomatic fire, a former Pentagon official responded with notable outrage—declaring Munir “Osama in a suit.” The official called for an immediate U.S. visa ban, demanding Munir be seen as a terrorist for leveraging nuclear threats.

The remarks have sparked a renewed debate over nuclear responsibility, testing the delicate balance of South Asian diplomacy and U.S.–Pakistan ties already strained by regional tensions and mounting global scrutiny over Pakistan’s military posture.