Munir also reportedly stated, “If we think we are going down, we’ll take half the world down with us,” in reference to Pakistan’s nuclear posture.

NEW DELHI, Aug 12: Targeting India during his second visit to the US in nearly two months' time last weekend, Pakistani Field Marshal Asim Munir declared that "if we think we are going down, we’ll take half the world down with us" with nuclear arms.

Munir also threatened to strike Reliance Industries Ltd’s Jamnagar oil refinery in the event of a future conflict with India. He made the remark during a formal dinner in Tampa, Florida, according to media reports. The oil refinery is the backbone of India's economy.

During his visit which ended on Sunday he met senior US military and civilian leaders and interacted with the Pakistani diaspora.

Munir’s visit came seven weeks after his previous trip in June signaling an intensifying diplomatic and military engagement between Pakistan and the US. The earlier trip followed heightened tensions between India and Pakistan, especially after India’s Operation Sindoor targeted militant camps in Pakistan.

Munir’s remarks during the latest visit were made on the 80th anniversary of the Nagasaki bombing, adding symbolic weight to his nuclear rhetoric.

Munir also attended the retirement of CENTCOM Commander Gen. Michael Kurilla and welcomed Admiral Brad Cooper as his successor in Tampa, Florida.

He met with US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine and invited him to visit Pakistan.

He addressed Pakistani expatriates, calling them a “brain gain” and urging investment in Pakistan’s future.

Munir reportedly stated, “If we think we are going down, we’ll take half the world down with us,” in reference to Pakistan’s nuclear posture.

Targeting India's economic backbone, he threatened to strike Reliance's Jamnagar refinery, a vital energy hub, in case of a future conflict.

He also warned of retaliation if India proceeds with dam construction on the Indus river.

Munir’s rhetoric has raised concerns about the stability of Pakistan’s nuclear command and its ties to terrorist groups.

His visit coincided with Pakistan’s efforts to secure a new IMF bailout, suggesting that military diplomacy is being used to unlock financial lifelines.

Meanwhile, whipping up tensions, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, referring to Indus waters, said on Monday India would not be allowed to take “even one drop" of water belonging to Pakistan.

Earlier, former Pakistan foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto again threatened India over the Indus waters, vowing to reclaim all six rivers and warned India of defeat if conflict erupts.

In April, a Pakistani Minister asserted that its missiles and 130 nuclear warheads were being kept "only for India."

The Indian Government has called Pakistan army chief Asim Munir’s anti-India rhetoric in the US as ‘nuclear saber-rattling’. On Monday, the Ministry of External Affairs said that India will not give in to nuclear blackmail. The country will “take all steps necessary to safeguard our national security”.

Who is Asim Munir: There is a real institutional incongruity in Pakistan's military rankings. A four-star General, Asim Munir was promoted as the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), head of the Pakistan Army, the largest and most influential branch of the armed forces, in November 2022.

General Sahir Shamshad Mirza of 8th Sind Regimen, also a four-star general but not commanding any troops and is below the rank of Asim Munir, was appointed as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (JCSC), where Asim Munir is a member along with the air force chief and the naval chief. The JCSC oversees coordination among the Army, Navy and the Air Force. It is more of a strategic and advisory role, without direct command over troops. Mirza was also appointed in November 2022.

It is said, an independent chairman who isn’t commanding troops directly and not a chief of staff can be a neutral coordinator, especially in nuclear command control.

However, it is a paradox that Mirza is junior to Munir in the army hierarchy, but he is senior to Munir in the JCSC framework. A real institutional incongruity, also claimed as a system of checks and balances.

Confounding the ranking confusion, Asim Munir was recently elevated as the Field Marshal, who has overall authority over all the three services and is a five-star position, but a rare posting. It is the highest military rank. He continues as the army chief as also a member in the JCSC where Mirza, his junior, is the chairman. However, a Field Marshal outranks all others as well.

Field Marshal is symbolical, representing supreme military authority. Only one other person in Pakistan’s history held this title - Mohammad Ayub Khan, who later became the country’s first military dictator in 1958.

The CCTV footage and the video circulating on social media do not indicate any serious abnormalities in takeoff or descent, it has been confirmed. The disaster is becoming curiouser and curiouser. The flight path was not curvy. And the aircraft maintained a steady, gliding descent with its nose straight and the wings perfectly level. The pilot's distress call does not specify what prevented lift and climb-out. Here are some expert opinions. The sole purpose is to raise travellers' awareness about air travel.

Many of the victims were charred beyond recognition, making identification difficult. Three hundred nineteen body parts have been sent for DNA matching with relatives to determine the identities.

• The Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla line provides Kashmir with all-weather connectivity and integrates the Valley with the rest of India.
• The saying 'Kashmir to Kanyakumari' is now a dream come true.
• The Chenab bridge on the line, an engineering marvel, is the world's highest railway bridge, taller than the Eiffel Tower. (Video: File)

A comment on social media on Kanimozhi's answer on the question of national language read: "Daughter of Kalaignar M. Karunanidhi. Delivered the Birthday Present to her Father!!" (Karunanidhi was born on June 3, 1924) (Today's headlines )

Trump said, "Elon is not really leaving" and will be "back and forth" to the White House because DOGE is his "baby." "I think he’s going to be doing a lot of things.”

Musk wrote: "My scheduled time as a Special Government Employee comes to an end... The @DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government." Now on it will be on auto-pilot.

PROGNOSIS: DOGE was prematurely born to protect the country by aborting an impending socio-economic disaster which very few people could see coming.

Although its immediate job was to save American taxpayers billions by slashing waste, eliminating fraud, cutting Government bloat and ensuring utmost efficiency in administration for the good of the people. (Today's headlines )

"Coming from a system like in England, empowering," she says she never had an idea of this sort of experience... being asked to “socialise with middle-aged men” who financed the event...humiliating...

Originally from Junagadh, Gujarat, Pataudi was relocated to Etawah Lion Safari in September 2019 before being transferred to Gorakhpur Zoo in 2021. Recently it was receiving treatment for pancreatic and liver infections. After tigress Shakti died in the zoo on May 7 due to bird flu, Pataudi was shifted to Kanpur. Some birds are also reported to have died mysteriously around Gorakhpur. All zoos in UP are closed for fear of a bird flu outbreak.

Three other animals too had died - a tiger, a leopardess and a female wolf. Wolf Bhairavi died last Saturday, leopardess Mona died the Thursday before that and tiger Kesari died on March 30. Some of them had Shakti's symptoms but the cause of death has not been confirmed yet.

As tourist inflow is an indicator of normalcy returning to an erstwhile terrorist infested Valley, the Government has been trying hard to make everything travel-friendly, launching lot many projects and bringing Kashmir on the national rail map that physically completes the process of Kashmir's integration with the rest of India. And that defeats the designs of Pakistan eyeing Kashmir and simply explains a recrudescence of terrorism in J&K.

The committee headed by justice Kurian Joseph will study Centre-State relations and make proposals to ensure foolproof separation of powers.

"It's a big victory not just for Tamil Nadu but for all Indian States. DMK will continue to struggle for and win State autonomy and Federal polity," Chief Minister MK Stalin said.

Of 2.08 km in length, it features 99 spans and a 72.5-metre vertical lift span that rises up to a height of 17 metres, facilitating smooth movement of ships while ensuring seamless train services to the holy town of Rameswaram on Pamban island.

ANALYSIS: There is a lot of hue and cry around the world over Trump's tariffs. But tariff, simply put, is a tax. But unlike tax, it affects the exporting country too. Domestic prices will go up for some time. Nothing more will happen, good or bad!

What motivated Trump's newfound policy, apart from being a stunt to justify his existence in the White House, is a false realisation that increased tariff will make foreign goods prohibitive, thereby boosting local production, and create more jobs, and more prosperity will ring in! If that is true, India would have been shining by now: Producing own Rolls-Royce La Rose Noire Droptail and Scotch Whiskies! And what about coconut and palm oil by America! (Today's headlines )

PROGNOSIS: It looks a Real New Trump is emerging - courageous, balanced, powerful and disinterested. Determined to save his country from the cliff, he has done quite a few draconian things that will reduce the burden of debts of the Federal entity, like the golden handshake, stopping senseless funding, pulling out of a worthless WHO. Shutting the Education Department is another. On the other hand, running it is also not the Centre's job either (We will convincingly elaborate it in the next chapter).

In India the scene is just the opposite. Centralisation is the core agenda and identity of the ruling dispensation without which it has no existence, or in other words, it exists for that set of schemes only. A realisation of this never dawned upon any Opposition party in 2014 or any time thereafter, what to talk of being able to see it coming 70 years ago! The consequence of all this violation of basic natural law of the universe we cannot predict.

THE AMERICAN CONUNDRUM: Political venom has migrated to top echelons in the US. It was reported last year NASA has become politicised, vitiated. But NASA refuted the charge. How Boeing developed a glitch but its unmanned return was smooth. When Suni-Wilmore were stranded last June, why the return was set for February? Because that comes only after January 20! SpaceX called the shots, for itself and for Trump. Then the mission was manipulated for March for a better bargain! In between, what made Elon Musk 'predict' during campaign if Kamala Harris wins he would be in jail. In politics, it is said, "the only rule is there are no rules." Difficult times for Americans too.

The terminations are part of a large-scale exercise going on all across Fed departments and organisations to reduce wasteful Government expenditure as decided by a Trump in a mess gone berserk, and improve administrative efficiency following the whims of billionaire and his associate Elon MusK and his DOGE. It has not been shared how terminations are going to raise the efficiency bar! It looks like Trump has stolen some of the prescriptions meant for India. But the American problems are quite different.

Suddenly these colonial clerks feel this effortless, little rule will tremendously enhance security and convenience for the railway passengers manifold. More stations will be covered in the next 77 years! (Also See: New Delhi station stampede... What went wrong?)

ANALYSIS: "The standard operating procedure for deportations by aircraft used by ICE that is effective from 2012 provides for the use of restraints," says the Government. That means, it is taken for granted the US will set the standard for deportations. For another, the Government is more interested in comparing with what happened in 2012 under a different Government to justify its own compliance! No surprise, others are trampling upon us. (How we conduct ourselves inside decides, inherently, how we are treated outside) Thirdly, the Government blamed the gangs doing the business of human trafficking for the illegal migration. For all the crimes taking place in the country, let us blame the criminals! Funny! We will never move an inch forward! The mindset defines what we are.

Meanwhile, a UN-returned Congress leader Shashi Tharoor sounded like a layman when he said, "If they are citizens of India we have an obligation to take them back." Who said 'No'?. He should know that is not the issue now. Who will identify an undocumented person, and how?

The function was held indoors from 12 pm (10:30 pm IST) at the rotunda of the US Capitol building because of unusually intense cold and snow. Delivering his inaugural address, Trump remarked, “The golden age of America begins right now," and just hours later signed a slew of executive orders to redeem the election pledges.