Kashmir's Connection to Pakistan Defined: India Replies to Army Chief's 'Vein' Remarks

New Delhi:  
India has dismissed comments made by the Pakistani army chief, who claimed that Kashmir is Islamabad's "jugular vein." In a powerful worded response, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) told reporters that Pakistan's "only relationship with Kashmir" is the eviction of the illegally occupied area.

"How can anything foreign be in a jugular vein? This is a Union Territory of India. Its only relationship with Pakistan is the vacation of illegally occupied territories by that country," MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.

While addressing a gathering of Pakistanis living abroad, Pakistan's army chief General Asim Munir elaborated that they are the country's ambassadors & must remember they belong to a "superior ideology and culture."

"You should definitely tell Pakistan's story to your children. Our forefathers thought that we are different from the Hindus in every aspect of life. Our religions, our customs, traditions, thoughts and ambitions are different. That was the foundation of the two-nation theory that was laid," General Munir stated.

Regarding Kashmir, General Munir said, "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."

For a nation where military leadership often intersects with politics, General Munir's comments set the tone for Islamabad's stance on several matters, specifically its relations with India.

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