Washington DC [US], August 11 (HBTV): Pakistan Army Chief Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir has said that Islamabad will defend its water rights “at all costs” if India proceeds with dam construction on the Indus River, warning that Pakistan would “destroy” any such dam.

During his ongoing visit to the United States, Munir also reiterated his claim that Kashmir is Pakistan’s “jugular vein,” calling it an unresolved international issue rather than India’s internal matter, Pakistan-based ARY News reported on Monday.

“We will wait for India to build a dam, and when they do so, we will destroy it,” Munir told members of the Pakistani-American community in Tampa, Florida, according to The Dawn. At a black-tie dinner in Washington, DC, hosted by Adnan Asad, Pakistan’s honorary consul in Tampa, he said the Indus River “is not the Indians’ family property,” adding that Islamabad has “no shortage of resources to undo the Indian designs to stop the river.”

ARY News cited Munir as condemning “Indian aggression under Operation Sindoor,” calling it a grave violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty. He warned that any “mistake” by India leading to bilateral conflict would be a “huge blunder,” and credited Pakistan’s response with preventing a wider confrontation. He also thanked former US President Donald Trump for his role in defusing tensions between the two countries.

India has strongly rebutted Munir’s “jugular vein” remarks in the past. On April 17, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said Jammu and Kashmir is a Union Territory of India and dismissed Munir’s comments as baseless. “How can anything foreign be in a jugular vein? Its only relationship with Pakistan is the vacation of illegally occupied territories by that country,” Jaiswal stated.

India has consistently maintained that the 2021 ceasefire along the Line of Control was achieved through direct talks between Indian and Pakistani militaries, without US mediation.

Munir’s current trip is his second high-profile US visit in less than two months. In Tampa, he attended the US Central Command (CENTCOM) change-of-command ceremony, where Admiral Brad Cooper succeeded General Michael E. Kurilla. According to Pakistan’s Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Munir praised Kurilla’s “exemplary leadership” in strengthening Pakistan–US military ties and expressed confidence that Admiral Cooper would further the partnership to address shared security challenges.

On the sidelines, Munir met US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine and defence chiefs from other countries, inviting Caine to visit Pakistan and reaffirming Islamabad’s role as a regional security stakeholder, Dawn reported.