‘Difference between Osama and Gen Munir is…’: Ex-US official blasts Pakistan after Pahalgam attack

Michael Rubin, a former Pentagon official and senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, lashed out at Pakistan and its top military leadership following the brutal killings of 26 people, mostly civilians, in the Pahalgam terrorist attack.

The former US security official urged the United States to formally designate Pakistan as a state sponsor of terrorism and brand Pakistan’s Army chief, General Asim Munir, a terrorist. He compared Munir to the deadly terrorist Osama Bin Laden.

“The only difference between Osama Bin Laden and Asim Munir is that Osama Bin Laden lived in a cave and Asim Munir lives in a palace, but beyond that, the two are the same, and their end should also be the same,” Rubin told ANI, calling for strict action against Pakistan.

He further used a metaphor, saying, “It was shocking, but this just goes to show you that you can put lipstick on a pig, but it’s still a pig. You can pretend that Pakistan isn’t a terror sponsor, but it remains a terror sponsor, no matter how much we try to normalise it.

In his blistering remarks, Rubin also accused Pakistan of once again using terrorism as a tool to draw attention away from US Vice President JD Vance’s high-profile visit to India.

Pahalgam terror attack: Drawing parallels with Hamas

Rubin also drew a comparison between the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel and the terrorist strike in Pahalgam and said that both attacks targeted peaceful civilians–liberal Jews in Israel and middle-class Hindus in India.

“That is exactly what went on when October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel. It was directed specifically against Jews and not only against Jews, but among the most liberal Jews who were most prone to wanting peace and normalcy with the Gaza Strip,” Rubin told ANI.

“Targeting a vacation resort, middle-class Hindus, it is evident that the Pakistanis are trying the same tactic now. It should be no more successful for Pakistan than it was for Hamas. And frankly, India now must do to Pakistan and to Pakistan’s ISI what Israel did to Hamas. It’s time to wipe out the leadership of the ISI to treat them as a designated terror group and demand that every country that is an ally of India, every country that is an ally of the world’s largest democracy, do the same,” Rubin further stated.

Pahalgam terrorist attack: Pakistan diplomats summoned

India has summoned Pakistan’s top diplomat in Delhi, Saad Ahmad Warraich, and handed over the formal Persona Non-Grata note for its military diplomats, according to sources.

Meanwhile, the Modi government has called an all-party meeting on Thursday in the wake of the terror attack in Pahalgam, PTI reported.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is likely to chair it while Union home minister Amit Shah and Singh are speaking to leaders of various parties on the issue.