'Divine help saved us': Asim Munir credits faith after Pakistan’s May clash with India

 

Speaking at the National Ulema Conference in Islamabad earlier this month, Munir said Pakistan’s armed forces experienced what he described as “divine intervention” during the four-day escalation with India. 

 

Reciting verses from the Quran, the army chief framed the conflict in religious terms, telling the gathering that Pakistan’s military felt the presence of divine assistance.

“We felt it,” Munir said, referring to the May hostilities that followed India’s precision strikes.

 

Operation Sindoor and the May escalation

 

India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7 in response to the Pahalgam terror attack, which claimed the lives of 26 civilians. 

 

The operation targeted terror camps and infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, triggering days of cross-border military exchanges.

The confrontation marked one of the sharpest India-Pakistan escalations in recent years and ended on May 10 after both sides reached an understanding to halt military action.

 

Religious framing of Pakistan’s military role

 

During his address, Munir drew ideological parallels between Pakistan and the early Islamic state established more than 1,400 years ago in the Arabian Peninsula. 

 

He asserted that Pakistan holds a special position among Muslim-majority nations, claiming that the country had been divinely entrusted with a unique role in the Islamic world.

Munir said that out of 57 Islamic countries, Pakistan had been granted a special honour, referring to the protection of Haramain Sharifain—Makkah and Madina—though those sites are geographically located in Saudi Arabia. 

 

His remarks underscored the increasing religious tone in Pakistan’s military discourse.

 

Warning to Afghan Taliban over TTP

According to him, nearly 70 percent of fighters entering Pakistan under the TTP banner are Afghans.

“Is Afghanistan not spilling the blood of our Pakistani children?” he asked, repeating his demand that the Taliban government distance itself from the TTP.

 

Authority over jihad claims

 

Addressing religious scholars, Munir asserted that the authority to declare jihad rests solely with the state in an Islamic system. 

 

He said no individual or group could issue a fatwa for jihad without the consent and direction of the state.

His statement appeared aimed at delegitimising non-state militant groups that justify violence using religious arguments, even as Pakistan continues to face persistent internal security challenges.

 

Politics, faith and regional tensions

 

Munir’s remarks come at a time of heightened regional sensitivity, with strained India-Pakistan relations and worsening ties between Islamabad and Kabul. 

 

By invoking divine intervention and issuing warnings to the Afghan Taliban, the Pakistan military chief blended faith, geopolitics and security narratives, reinforcing the ideological posture of Pakistan’s military establishment amid ongoing regional turbulence.