India Rejects Pakistan Army Chief’s Kashmir Remarks, Reaffirms Sovereignty Over Union Territory:

India firmly responded to Pakistan Army Chief General Asim Munir’s recent comments referring to Kashmir as Pakistan’s “jugular vein.” During a press briefing, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated,
“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.”

The statement underscores India’s longstanding position on the matter, rejecting any external claims over Jammu and Kashmir, which New Delhi considers an integral part of its sovereign territory.

Pakistan Army Chief Defends Two-Nation Theory
General Munir, addressing a Pakistani diaspora event, also advocated for the two-nation theory, which led to the Partition of India in 1947. He emphasized religious and cultural differences with India as the foundation of Pakistan’s identity.

He told the gathering,
“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.”
He urged overseas Pakistanis to embrace their “superior ideology” and pass it on to future generations.

Ideological Divide Highlighted
Munir’s defense of the two-nation theory further reflects the ideological rift between India’s secular democratic structure and Pakistan’s religious identity-based foundation. The theory, once central to Pakistan’s formation, stands in contradiction to India’s belief in shared history, pluralism, and inclusive nationhood.

India has repeatedly maintained that Kashmir is not a bilateral issue, but a matter of internal governance, especially since the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019. Any attempt by Pakistan to raise Kashmir in international forums has been consistently dismissed by India as interference in its domestic affairs.