Kashmir is the "jugular vein" of Pakistan, Pakistani Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir has said, repeating his anti-India rhetoric.
Addressing the Pakistani diaspora in Tampa, Florida, Munir also warned that Pakistan will defend its water rights at all costs.
Weeks before the Pahalgam attack, Munir said Pakistan will not forget the issue of Kashmir, asserting, "It was our jugular vein." His comments were trashed by India.
"How can anything foreign be in a jugular vein? This is a union territory of India. Its only relationship with Pakistan is the vacation of illegally occupied territories by that country," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had said.
In his address on Saturday, Munir said Pakistan responded "resolutely and forcefully" during the recent conflict with India and Islamabad made it clear that any Indian aggression will be met with a "befitting reply".
Munir is on an official visit to the US and has engaged in high-level interactions with senior political and military leadership, as well as members of the Pakistani diaspora, the Pakistani army said in a statement.
According to highlights of his speech to the Pakistani community, Munir said Kashmir is "not an internal matter of India but an incomplete international agenda. As the Quaid-e-Azam had said, Kashmir is the 'jugular vein' of Pakistan."
He also warned that Islamabad would destroy any dam if it cut off water flow to Pakistan.
"We will wait for India to build a dam, and when they do so, we will destroy it,” he
was quoted as saying by the Dawn newspaper. “The Indus River is not the Indians’ family property. We have no shortage of resources to undo the Indian designs to stop the river."
Munir said his second visit to the US after a gap of one and a half months marks a new dimension in Pakistan-US relations. He added that these visits aim to take the relations on a constructive, sustainable and positive path.
He also said that Pakistan is extremely grateful to Trump, whose strategic leadership has stopped the war between India and Pakistan as well as prevented many other wars around the world.
New Delhi has been maintaining that India and Pakistan halted their military actions following direct talks between their militaries without any mediation by the US.
During the address, Munir added that a trade agreement with the US is expected to attract huge investments, and Pakistan has achieved significant successes on the international relations front.
In June, Munir had travelled to the US on a rare five-day trip during which he attended a private luncheon with President Donald Trump, an unprecedented gesture typically reserved for visiting heads of state or government.
That meeting culminated in Trump's announcement of enhanced US-Pakistan cooperation in various fields, including an oil deal.
The Pakistani army said in a statement that in Tampa, Munir attended the Retirement Ceremony of outgoing Commander United States Central Command (CENTCOM), General Michael E Kurilla, and the Change of Command Ceremony marking the assumption of command by Admiral Brad Cooper.
Munir also met with Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine, “where matters of mutual professional interest were discussed. He extended an invitation to General Caine to visit Pakistan. On the sidelines, COAS interacted with Chiefs of Defence from friendly nations.”
"During an interactive session with the Pakistani diaspora, COAS urged them to remain confident in Pakistan’s bright future and to actively contribute to attracting investments. The diaspora reaffirmed their commitment to supporting Pakistan’s progress and development,” the statement said.