‘Should do to ISI what Israel did to Hamas’: Ex-Pentagon official on Pahalgam terror attack
Pahalgam terror attack: "We need to convince Washington that the ISI should be treated like Hamas in Gaza Strip or for that matter Qasem Soleimani, the head of the Quds Force in Iran,” said Michael Rubin.
- Apr 24, 2025,
- Updated Apr 24, 2025 8:37 AM IST
Former Pentagon official, senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and Director of Policy Analysis at Middle East Forum, Michael Rubin says the terrorists who killed innocent civilians in Pahalgam took a page out of Hamas’ book, who attacked Israeli civilians on October 7, 2023. Rubin says India must do to ISI what Israel did to Hamas.
"That is exactly what went on when we had the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel. It was directed specifically against Jews and not only against Jews, but among the most liberal Jews who were most prone to wanting peace and normalcy with the Gaza Strip. Targeting a vacation resort, middle-class Hindus, it is evident that the Pakistanis are trying the same tactic now. It should be no more successful for Pakistan than it was for Hamas. And frankly, it's now the duty of India to do to Pakistan and to Pakistan's ISI what Israel did to Hamas,” said Rubin in an interview with ANI.
Rubin said India must “wipe out the leadership of ISI”, which is the premier intelligence agency of Pakistan, and to treat them as a “designated terror group”. He said India must demand every ally of the country to do the same.
“We should stop embracing the fiction that the ISI is a legitimate military organisation. We need to convince Washington that the ISI should be treated like Hamas in Gaza Strip or for that matter Qasem Soleimani, the head of the Quds Force in Iran,” he said, adding that if President Donald Trump, in his first term can target Soleimani, there is no reason why Prime Minister Narendra Modi can’t use the same example to demand Asim Munir “go the way of Qasem Soleimani”.
Soleimani served in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and was the commander of the Quds Force, part of the IRGC that undertook clandestine military operations. He was assassinated in 2020 by US forces. General Syed Asim Munir Ahmed Shah is the Pakistani Army Chief, whose recent inflammatory speech on Kashmir, two-nation theory and the divide between Hindus and Muslims made headlines, earning him a lot of backlash.
Rubin stated that one can pretend that Pakistan isn’t a terror sponsor but it remains a terror sponsor, no matter how much one tries to normalise it. He said the timing of the Pahalgam terror attack was to ensure that the attention is drawn away from US Vice President JD Vance’s visit to the country like they did when Bill Clinton visited India.
The scholar said Asim Munir should be formally declared a terrorist. “The only difference between Osama Bin Laden and Asim Munir is that Osama Bin Laden lived in a cave and Asim Munir lives in a palace, but beyond that, the two are the same, and their end should also be the same."
Rubin said Asim Munir’s latest speech seemed to “greenlight terror”. “India needs to cut Pakistan’s jugular,” said Rubin, adding that Pakistan is home to myriad terrorist groups.
Former Pentagon official, senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and Director of Policy Analysis at Middle East Forum, Michael Rubin says the terrorists who killed innocent civilians in Pahalgam took a page out of Hamas’ book, who attacked Israeli civilians on October 7, 2023. Rubin says India must do to ISI what Israel did to Hamas.
"That is exactly what went on when we had the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel. It was directed specifically against Jews and not only against Jews, but among the most liberal Jews who were most prone to wanting peace and normalcy with the Gaza Strip. Targeting a vacation resort, middle-class Hindus, it is evident that the Pakistanis are trying the same tactic now. It should be no more successful for Pakistan than it was for Hamas. And frankly, it's now the duty of India to do to Pakistan and to Pakistan's ISI what Israel did to Hamas,” said Rubin in an interview with ANI.
Rubin said India must “wipe out the leadership of ISI”, which is the premier intelligence agency of Pakistan, and to treat them as a “designated terror group”. He said India must demand every ally of the country to do the same.
“We should stop embracing the fiction that the ISI is a legitimate military organisation. We need to convince Washington that the ISI should be treated like Hamas in Gaza Strip or for that matter Qasem Soleimani, the head of the Quds Force in Iran,” he said, adding that if President Donald Trump, in his first term can target Soleimani, there is no reason why Prime Minister Narendra Modi can’t use the same example to demand Asim Munir “go the way of Qasem Soleimani”.
Soleimani served in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and was the commander of the Quds Force, part of the IRGC that undertook clandestine military operations. He was assassinated in 2020 by US forces. General Syed Asim Munir Ahmed Shah is the Pakistani Army Chief, whose recent inflammatory speech on Kashmir, two-nation theory and the divide between Hindus and Muslims made headlines, earning him a lot of backlash.
Rubin stated that one can pretend that Pakistan isn’t a terror sponsor but it remains a terror sponsor, no matter how much one tries to normalise it. He said the timing of the Pahalgam terror attack was to ensure that the attention is drawn away from US Vice President JD Vance’s visit to the country like they did when Bill Clinton visited India.
The scholar said Asim Munir should be formally declared a terrorist. “The only difference between Osama Bin Laden and Asim Munir is that Osama Bin Laden lived in a cave and Asim Munir lives in a palace, but beyond that, the two are the same, and their end should also be the same."
Rubin said Asim Munir’s latest speech seemed to “greenlight terror”. “India needs to cut Pakistan’s jugular,” said Rubin, adding that Pakistan is home to myriad terrorist groups.