India hits back at Pakistan over Army chief’s Kashmir remark: ‘How can anything foreign be jugular vein?’

Pakistan Army Chief General Asim Munir’s assertion that Islamabad “won’t forget” Kashmir has provoked a sharp response from New Delhi. General Asim Munir, addressing a convention of overseas Pakistanis, said that Kashmir is Pakistan's jugular vein, asserting Islamabad's claim over the region.

Responding to the assertions of General Munir, the Indian government reiterated that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of the country and called on Pakistan to vacate territories under its “illegal occupation”, referring specifically to parts of Kashmir governed by Pakistan.

“How can anything foreign be a jugular vein? Jammu and Kashmir is a union territory of India. Its only relationship with Pakistan is the vacating of illegally occupied territories by that country,” the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.

What Did Asim Munir Say on Kashmir?

Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff, General Asim Munir, on Wednesday, said that Kashmir remains Pakistan’s “jugular vein”—a status, he asserted, that will endure, with Islamabad never relinquishing its claim or forgetting the region.

“Our stance is absolutely clear; it was our jugular vein, it will be our jugular vein. We will not forget it. We will not leave our Kashmiri brothers in their heroic struggle,” General Munir said at the Convention for Overseas Pakistanis on Wednesday, drawing sharp criticism from Delhi.

The dispute over Kashmir between India and Pakistan dates back to the 1947 Partition of British India, when the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir was given the choice to join either country.

The Maharaja initially sought independence but acceded to India following an invasion by Pakistani tribal forces, sparking the first Indo-Pakistan war.

Since then, Kashmir has remained a flashpoint, with multiple wars, cease-fire agreements, and ongoing violence along the Line of Control.

On Tahawwur Rana

MEA also hit out at Pakistan over 26/11 Mumbai terror attack accused Tahawwur Rana and his extradition from the United States.

“Pakistan may try very hard, but its reputation as the epicentre of global terrorism will not diminish. The extradition of Rana serves as a reminder to Pakistan that it needs to bring to justice other perpetrators of the Mumbai attacks, whom it continues to shield”, Randhir Jaiswal said.

Tahawwur Rana, the alleged mastermind behind the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, was extradited from the United States to India earlier this month and is currently under intense interrogation by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

Held in a high-security cell at the NIA headquarters in New Delhi, Rana is being questioned for up to ten hours daily as investigators seek to uncover the broader conspiracy linked to the attacks that claimed 166 lives.

Tahawwur Rana has cooperated with authorities, requesting only basic items such as a pen, paper, and a Quran, and is receiving standard meals and medical care as per protocol. The NIA has secured an 18-day custody period to continue its probe into his alleged role and connections with co-conspirators, including David Coleman Headley.