'Asim Munir is Osama bin Laden in a suit': Former Pentagon official on Trump courting Pak Army chief

Former Pentagon official Michael Rubin has likened Pakistan’s Army Chief Asim Munir to Al Qaeda’s Osama Bin Laden, days after the official threatened to “take down half the world” with its nuclear weapons.

“Asim Munir is Osama Bin Laden in a suit and there will be no amount of concession that will be given to Pakistan that is going to change his ideology or the Pakistani elite he represents,” Rubin said.

Munir’s comment came over the weekend during an event in Tampa, Florida, where he said, “We are a nuclear nation. If we think we are going down, we’ll take half the world down with us.”

Rubin, reacting to Munir’s comments, said, “The fact that Pakistan is threatening half of the world with nuclear weapons is a clear indication that it has lost its right to be a legitimate state. It is time for the US to consider other policies.”

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#WATCH | Washington DC, USA | On upcoming meeting between US and Russia, Former Pentagon official Michael Rubin says, "...Asim Munir is Osama Bin Laden in a suit..."

He says, "Donald Trump is a businessman and is used to horse-trading... He does not understand that a bad peace… pic.twitter.com/Cra1y24e19

— ANI (@ANI) August 12, 2025

‘Pak should be listed as a state sponsor of terrorism’

The former Pentagon official added that the US administration under Trump should not consider Islamabad as a non-Nato ally.

“Pakistan should be the first major non-NATO ally to be listed as a state sponsor of terrorism and should not be a member of the US Central Command anymore,” Rubin said.

He also called for Munir to be declared a persona non grata in the US and should not get the American Visa “until he explains himself and apologises.”

#WATCH | Washington DC, USA | On Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir’s nuclear threat, Former Pentagon official Michael Rubin says, "Pakistan's threats on American soil are completely unacceptable and it is raising questions in many people's minds whether if it can fulfill the… pic.twitter.com/y7I5wh2VK7

— ANI (@ANI) August 11, 2025

Trump courts Munir

The Field Marshal's recent trip to the US is the second such state visit to the country, turning heads over its potential implications.

During a last visit, the world saw a rare instance of Trump sitting with the Army chief of a country in the Oval Office, treating him like a head of state. The rise of the newly appointed Pakistani Field Marshal in the span of a few years has many people comparing him to the country’s erstwhile dictatorial Army chiefs, General Zia Ul Haq, Ayub Khan and Pervez Musharraf, all of whom eventually toppled the then-governments and took the reins of Pakistan.

Amid all the speculations, America is treating Munir as what some call a “de facto” leader of Pakistan. However, the Pakistani general is facing his share of challenges within the country, some of which are as follows.