Asim Munir’s faith-based spin on India clash exposes Pakistan army’s desperation
Pakistan’s Chief of Defence Forces, Field Marshal Asim Munir, has added a supernatural twist to Islamabad’s military narrative, claiming that “divine help” saved Pakistan during last May’s clashes with India—an assertion that has drawn widespread ridicule and renewed scrutiny of religion’s deep entanglement with the country’s security establishment.
Speaking at the National Ulema Conference in Islamabad earlier this month, Munir suggested that God intervened after India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The Indian strikes followed the Pahalgam terror attack, in which 26 civilians were killed—an atrocity New Delhi squarely blamed on Pakistan-backed terror groups.
“We felt it,” Munir declared solemnly, referring not to radar systems or air defences, but to divine intervention. Clips of the speech were aired on Pakistani television on Sunday, even as official transcripts of the December 10 address remain conspicuously unavailable.
The India-Pakistan confrontation lasted four days, marked by intense military exchanges, before both sides stood down on May 10. While India publicly outlined operational objectives and outcomes, Pakistan’s top general appears to have opted for theology over transparency.
Pakistan recast as a chosen Islamic state
Munir’s address leaned heavily into religious symbolism, with the army chief likening present-day Pakistan to the Prophet Muhammad’s Islamic state from 1,400 years ago. Quoting Quranic verses, he claimed Pakistan occupies a divinely exalted position among Muslim nations.
Out of 57 Islamic countries worldwide, Munir asserted, God “chose” Pakistan to serve as the “protector of the Haramain Sharifain”—Makkah and Madina—despite the fact that the holy sites lie in Saudi Arabia, not Pakistan. The claim, delivered without irony, underscored the increasingly theatrical tone of Pakistan’s military messaging.
Taliban told to choose between Pakistan and TTP
Shifting from divine favour to security failures, Munir turned his attention westward, pressing Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers to pick a side: Islamabad or the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
In a striking admission, the army chief claimed Afghan nationals dominate TTP ranks. “In the TTP formations coming into Pakistan, 70 per cent are Afghans,” Munir said, demanding Kabul take responsibility for repeated terror attacks on Pakistani civilians.
He doubled down on the ultimatum, insisting the Taliban could no longer hedge their loyalties. At the same time, Munir attempted to reclaim religious authority, stressing that only the state can declare jihad, not armed groups or clerics acting independently.
“No one can issue a fatwa for jihad without the order, permission and will of those vested with authority,” he told the gathering—an assertion that rings hollow given Pakistan’s long history of nurturing non-state jihadist actors as strategic assets.
Faith as fig leaf for failure
Munir’s claim of divine assistance during the India skirmish has sparked debate and mockery, especially as Pakistan faces growing international scrutiny over its reliance on religious rhetoric to mask strategic, diplomatic and security failures.
As India openly names and targets terror infrastructure, Pakistan’s military leadership appears increasingly reliant on faith-based explanations, selective silence and deflection—a narrative that may play well at clerical conferences, but convinces few beyond them.
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