India 'doubling down’ to advance ‘nefarious agenda’ after defeat: Pakistani army chief

ISLAMABAD

Pakistan's army chief Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir on Thursday accused India of "doubling down" its "nefarious agenda" against Islamabad after facing "defeat" during hostilities in May.

"Following its manifest defeat in direct aggression against Pakistan, post-Pahalgam incident, India is now doubling down to further its nefarious agenda through its proxies of Fitna Al Khawarij and Fitna Al Hindustan," Munir said at the 271st Corps Commanders’ Conference in the garrison city of Rawalpindi, according to a statement.

Pakistan and India engaged in hostilities in May, firing missiles across the borders, triggered by an April 22 attack by unidentified gunmen in Indian-administered Kashmir, which left 26 people dead.

There was no immediate reaction from India to the statement by Munir, who was promoted to field marshal in the aftermath of the conflict.

Munir and top Pakistani army commanders discussed counterterrorism operations, lauding "recent successes against militant networks."

The leadership vowed to take “decisive and holistic actions” to dismantle terror outfits.

Munir also shared details of his recent visits to Iran, Türkiye, Azerbaijan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, accompanying Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. He also visited the US.

Munir stressed the need to build self-reliant capabilities and promote national unity to meet the evolving threats.