Amid escalating tensions and several deaths, Pakistan and Afghanistan on Sunday (October 19, 2025) agreed to an immediate ceasefire during talks in Doha. This comes after a week of fierce border clashes, the worst violence between the South Asian neighbours since the Taliban seized power in Kabul in 2021.
Even as it was fighting Kabul, Islamabad continued its irrational rhetoric with Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir falling back on anti-India posturing. Facing mounting domestic criticism over security failures along the Afghan border, Munir tried to deflect attention. Speaking at the passing-out parade at the Pakistan Military Academy in Abbottabad, he warned that even a “minor provocation” could trigger a “decisive” Pakistani response, despite claiming there is “no space for war in a nuclearised environment.”
However, Munir’s grandstanding comes in the shadow of Operation Sindoor, where India dismantled nine terror camps and struck 11 Pakistani military installations deep inside its territory. Not just this, but Pakistan lost around 100 military personnel during the military strikes.
Why Munir made these nuclear veiled threats?
Munir claimed Pakistan’s arsenal could “shatter the misconceived immunity of India’s geographic war-space” and warned of “catastrophic consequences” for the region if escalation occurred. These statements seem nothing other than attempts to revive the traditional anti-India posture to overshadow domestic military embarrassment.
His comments follow recent setbacks where Taliban forces overpowered Pakistani soldiers in multiple clashes along the Afghanistan border.
Did recent military failures shape Munir’s tone?
Pakistan Army Chief Munir’s remarks coincide with intense criticism over their inability to manage rising Taliban offensives. In May 2025 during Operation Sindoor, India exposed Pakistani vulnerabilities by destroying 8–10 fighter jets, including F-16s and JF-17s, and jamming Chinese-origin air defence systems.
Munir’s speech was crafted to mask the perception of a weakened army and shift public focus from internal failures.
What message did he send to the Taliban?
Munir also issued a sharp warning to the Taliban regime, demanding that militant groups, especially the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), be curbed. He claimed Pakistan would “raise to dust” proxies using Afghan soil and asked Kabul to “choose between peace and chaos.”
“A handful of terrorists cannot harm Pakistan,” he said. Munir’s statement came after Pakistani airstrikes inside Afghanistan, despite a recent ceasefire.
Predictably, Munir used the platform to reiterate Islamabad’s narrative on Jammu and Kashmir. He urged India to resolve “core issues” under international law and claimed Pakistan would extend “moral and diplomatic support” to Kashmiris, despite offering no new policy beyond rhetoric.
Afghanistan-Pakistan conflict: How it affected Kabul’s trade with India?
Amid ongoing border clashes with the Taliban, Pakistan has shut down the Atari–Wagah transit corridor, halting truck movement between Afghanistan and India. This closure has effectively suspended all trade between Kabul and New Delhi. Afghan exporters said movement has stopped entirely, with Pakistani drivers replacing Afghan ones and cargo stranded. Many traders now fear long-term losses and regional isolation.
According to a report in The Times of India, Pakistan’s ISI may have imposed the ban to monitor traffic and restrict Afghan leverage amid rising security tensions. The halt is expected to continue until hostilities and political friction with the Taliban ease. Meanwhile, clashes near Spin Boldak in Kandahar have claimed at least 18 civilian lives.
What is the regional fallout of the transit blockade?
The suspension has crippled Afghanistan’s lucrative fruit and dry fruit exports to India, undermined trade confidence across South Asia, exposed Pakistan’s use of transit routes as leverage in geopolitical disputes. Thousands of Afghan traders now face uncertainty, with economic damages piling up amid isolation and instability.
Munir’s aggressive posturing towards India and warnings to the Taliban reflect a military under pressure and losing influence. With simultaneous challenges on its western border and diplomatic irrelevance in New Delhi, Islamabad is increasingly resorting to rhetoric, nuclear signalling and economic disruption to project strength.