Pakistan’s military chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, recently escalated tensions by issuing nuclear threats during a visit to the United States, where he addressed the Pakistani diaspora in Florida. Munir warned that Pakistan, as a nuclear nation, would retaliate decisively in the event of an existential threat, declaring, “If we think we are going down, we’ll take half the world down with us.” He further threatened to destroy any Indian dam on the Indus River with missiles, reacting to India’s suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty following the Pahalgam terror attack in April 2025. His remarks, made on American soil, drew sharp condemnations from India, which called them reckless saber-rattling and questioned Pakistan’s nuclear command and control, especially given concerns about the military’s alignment with terrorist groups. Analysts warn that Munir’s provocative posture and apparent disregard for the catastrophic consequences of nuclear escalation reflect a dangerous mindset that could destabilize South Asia. His behavior has been interpreted as both a signal to India and a domestic appeal to hardliners, leveraging geopolitical tensions amid India’s strategic assertiveness and the fragile state of the Indus Waters Treaty, highlighting the perilous balance between nuclear deterrence and diplomatic prudence in the region.