History is the best place to learn where Asim Munir’s reckless nuclear boast is coming from. It’s an established fact that Pakistani military dictators aren’t particularly gifted with strategic intellect, political discretion, or a vision for their nation. They trade minor tactics for high strategy.

In reality, they end up destroying themselves and damaging Pakistan. Ayub Khan, Yahya Khan, Zia-ul-Haq, and Pervez Musharraf make a straight line. The first launched a war in 1965 and lost. The second lost half his country. The third diminished Pakistan into the “University of Jihad”. The fourth ruined the economy and globally affirmed Pakistan as a State sponsor of terrorism.

The fifth, Munir, is now using language more alarming than his infamous predecessors, as first reported by ThePrint’s Praveen Swami. Infamous and miserable in defeat, dishonour, exile, or assassination.

Munir thinks fate is going to treat him better. But then, of course, he’s much more of a true believer in scriptural dogma as he has interpreted it. He’s saying that unlike others, he’s willing to go for broke, even if it risks taking his country “and half the world” down with him. To understand where he is coming from, I will pick 10 points.

First, he’s attempting to restore the nuclear blackmail that has vanished after Op Sindoor. It was defied in the post-Uri surgical strikes, challenged in Balakot, and Op Sindoor buried it. From where Munir sits, if his nuclear blackmail is gone, what has he got left? This closes his options in Kashmir.

The Indian nuclear doctrine is publicly disclosed and adheres to the no-first-use principle. Pakistan has no such disclosure or commitment. The clearest........

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