Don't Honour, Arrest Pakistan's CDF Asim Munir: Ex-Pentagon Official

Former Pentagon official Michael Rubin has sharply criticized Washington's stance on Pakistan, arguing that the United States should reconsider its ties with the country. Rubin stated that Pakistan's newly appointed Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), Field Marshal Asim Munir, should be arrested if he visits the U.S., rather than being honored.

Speaking to news agency ANI, "There is no strategic logic for the United States embracing Pakistan. It should not be a major non-NATO ally. It should be designated a state sponsor of terrorism, period. If Asim Munir comes to the United States, he should be arrested rather than honoured,"

His statement comes days after Pakistan notified Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir as the country's first Chief of Defence Forces (CDF).

He then wants the United States to give India an apology for their actions, including imposing 50 per cent tariffs on Indian imports for buying Russian oil.

Rubin claimed that President Trump "doesn't like to apologise" and keeping the interest of the US surmounts "one man's ego."

"What we need is quiet diplomacy behind the scenes, and perhaps, at some point, a more vocal apology from the United States for the way we have treated India over the past year...President Donald Trump doesn't like to apologise, but the interests of the United States, world democracies are much more important than one man's ego, no matter how inflated it is," he added.

Rubin's comments highlight growing tensions between Washington and New Delhi. The two-decade-long partnership nurtured by successive U.S. administrations has faced setbacks since Trump took office earlier this year. Tariffs, threats to U.S. companies manufacturing in India, and repeated claims about ending the India-Pakistan conflict have all contributed to the strain.

Deepfake Video of Aleema Khan Sparks Political Unrest

Separately, a deepfake video targeting Aleema Khan, sister of imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan, has triggered widespread confusion and controversy in Pakistan. The manipulated clip falsely depicted Aleema making inflammatory remarks about India, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and Pakistan's military leadership, including Asim Munir.

In reality, Aleema's original interview with Sky News focused on her brother's health and limited family contact. The segment was digitally altered to fabricate both the reporter's questions and Aleema's responses. The doctored version portrayed Munir as a "radicalised Islamist" seeking war with India, while describing Imran Khan as a "pure liberal" wanting friendship with India and the BJP-statements she never made.

Sky News later aired a side-by-side comparison of the authentic interview and the manipulated clip, exposing the scale of the deception.

Political Fallout

The fake video spread rapidly across social media, shared tens of thousands of times and even picked up by mainstream outlets. Pakistan's Defence Minister Khwaja Muhammad Asif weighed in, referencing past India-Pakistan confrontations and suggesting that "lessons" had already been taught.

Yalda Hakim, the journalist who conducted the original interview, warned of the dangers posed by such fabrications. She noted that manipulated political content is increasingly difficult for audiences to detect and could be "quite dangerous when you have states who could be on the potential brink of war over these sorts of comments."