Michael Rubin, a former Pentagon official, has taken to task Pakistan's army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir for his recent nuclear threats, stating that Islamabad is acting like "a rogue state" for having warlike rhetoric between nuclear states.
He even compared Pakistan's de facto military leader to Osama bin Laden, the 9/11 mastermind, and said that Munir's words were similar to language associated with the Islamic State.
The controversy came from Munir's recent comments, apparently made at a meeting in Tampa, Florida, in front of US military officials; he indicated if Pakistan "goes down, it would take half the world down," a clear nuclear threat.
India condemned the threat and the Ministry of External Affairs expressed concern with their nuclear saber-rattling being Pakistan's "stock-in-trade," and expressed disappointment that Munir made the statements from the territory of a friendly third-world nation.
"Pakistan's threats on American soil are completely unacceptable," Rubin said in an interview with the news agency ANI.
The exofficial warned that Pakistan's nuclear threats could offer an opportunity for extremist groups to "go rogue" with nuclear weapons. He said Pakistan offers a conundrum that is much larger than the typical world of diplomatic quarrels.
"Americans look at terrorism through the lens of grievance...They don't understand the ideological underpinnings of many terrorists. Asim Munir is Osama bin Laden in a suit," he said.
Rubin added that Munir’s comments have sparked doubts among many over Pakistan’s ability to uphold the responsibilities expected of a functioning state.
"The Field Marshal's rhetoric is reminiscent of what we've heard from the Islamic State," he said.
Rubin suggested that the world community should consider allowing Pakistan to have what he termed a “managed decline,” which could include formal recognition of separatist areas such as Balochistan, and perhaps also suggest future military intervention to take control of its nuclear weaponry.
"It's coming near time when, in a future administration, other SEAL teams should enter Pakistan to secure its nuclear weapons because the alternative is simply too great to bear," he said.
According to Rubin, there is no reason why the USA should consider Pakistan a major non-NATO ally. He said, "Pakistan should be the first major non-NATO ally to be listed as a state sponsor of terrorism, and should not be a member of the US Central Command anymore."
Calling for a severe diplomatic action, he said, "Asim Munir should be persona non grata in the USA and never get an American Visa, along with any Pakistani official, till Pakistan explains itself and apologises."
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