Fresh allegations have surfaced linking Pakistan to the April 2025 terror attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir. Salman Ahmad, a close aide of former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan and a Pakistani-American political activist, has claimed that Pakistan’s Army Chief, General Asim Munir, orchestrated the attack to spark a military confrontation with India.
In an interview with CNN-News18, Ahmad alleged that General Munir planned the strike as a strategic provocation. According to him, Munir wanted India to retaliate so he could project himself as a powerful military leader and strengthen his authority within Pakistan.
‘Munir is a danger to the region,’ says Salman Ahmad
Ahmad referred to a recent letter signed by 42 US lawmakers, urging the US administration to investigate alleged human rights violations linked to Asim Munir. He said he and his colleagues have repeatedly warned Washington that since Imran Khan’s removal in April 2022, Pakistan’s military establishment has been ‘crushing democracy.’
Calling Munir ‘mentally unfit,’ Ahmad claimed the army chief poses a threat not just to Pakistan’s democratic system but to the entire region, especially since Pakistan is a nuclear-armed nation.
He also accused Pakistan’s security agencies of kidnapping and torturing family members of political opponents, saying these incidents have increased sharply in recent months. Ahmad alleged that Munir behaves as though he is preparing to become ‘Pakistan’s king,’ highlighting that the army chief has prevented anyone from meeting Imran Khan for weeks.
‘Munir planned Pahalgam attack to trigger war,’ claims Ahmad
Ahmad said the flawed and allegedly manipulated elections in Pakistan had angered the public, weakening Munir’s credibility. To regain control, Munir allegedly sought a distraction.
He claimed the Pahalgam attack was engineered so that India would respond militarily, triggering a short war, a conflict Munir could then use to elevate himself, possibly to the rank of Field Marshal.
Ahmad compared this to past escalations, saying similar tactics were used during ‘Operation Sindoor,’ when tensions between India and Pakistan lasted several days.
