Following the cold-blooded terror strike in Pahalgam in which 26 individuals, predominantly civilians, lost their lives, Michael Rubin, a retired Pentagon official and a senior fellow with the American Enterprise Institute, initiated a sharp onslaught against Pakistan and its military command. He insisted that America officially declare Pakistan a terrorist state.
Rubin targeted Pakistan’s Army chief General Asim Munir directly, referring to him as a terrorist and likening him to 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 said to ANI, in a blistering condemnation of Pakistan’s contribution to regional instability.
“Lipstick on a Pig”: Rubin Denounces Attempt to Normalize Pakistan
Rubin indicted Pakistan for regularly employing terrorism to serve its geopolitical interests and divert global attention. He used a forceful metaphor to support his contention, “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.”
He attributed the Pahalgam attack to have been scheduled to deliberately overshadow US Vice President JD Vance’s high-profile trip to India. “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,” Rubin said.
Pahalgam Attack in Comparison to Hamas Attack on Israel
Making a comparison with the October 7, 2023, Hamas-Israel attack, Rubin said, “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.”
“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 continued.
India Reacts with Diplomatic Move After Pahalgam Attack
In retaliation for the terror attack, India called in Pakistan’s senior diplomat in Delhi, Saad Ahmad Warraich, and presented him with a formal Persona Non-Grata note for Pakistan’s military diplomats, sources revealed.
Separately, the government of Modi requested an all-party meeting on Thursday to talk things over. Rajnath Singh, defence minister, will host the meeting while Union Home Minister Amit Shah will also speak with political leaders cutting across party lines.
