In yet another provocation, Pakistan’s Army Chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, issued threats against India and industrialist Mukesh Ambani, according to a report by The Print. His remarks, laced with Quranic references and military rhetoric, have drawn sharp condemnation from Indian sources, who called them proof of Pakistan’s “irresponsible” conduct as a nuclear-armed state.
What Munir said?
Recounting a previous social media post made by Pakistan’s army, Munir used a verse from Surah Fil alongside an image of Mukesh Ambani. The verse describes God’s punishment against an enemy force, a veiled metaphor for what Munir said Pakistan would do “next time” in a conflict with India.
“Ek tweet karwaya tha with Surah Fil and a picture of [the industrialist] Mukesh Ambani to show them what we will do the next time,” he said as quoted by The Print.
The verse Surah Fil describes how Allah sent birds to drop stones on an enemy’s battle elephants, reducing them “to chewed-up straw”.
“We’ll start from India’s East, where they have located their most valuable resources, and then move westwards,” he declared, making clear that Pakistan’s military strategy would target India’s economic heart. He warned that in any future confrontation, Islamabad would not hesitate to strike India’s most prized assets.
The Pakistan Army Chief also linked his threat to the dispute with India over the Indus Waters Treaty. Responding to India’s decision to place the treaty in abeyance, Munir claimed that such a move could put 250 million people at risk of starvation. He added ominously, “We will wait for India to build a dam, and when it does so, phir 10 missile sey faarigh kar dengey [we will destroy it with 10 missiles].”
Sources present at the event told The Print that these remarks followed direct nuclear threats. Munir reportedly stated, “We are a nuclear nation. If we think we are going down, we’ll take half the world down.”
Munir calls Pakistan to a ‘dump truck full of gravel’
In an unusual self-assessment, Munir likened Pakistan to “a dump truck full of gravel” in comparison to India, which he called a “shining Mercedes coming on a highway like a Ferrari.” He went on to suggest that if the “truck hits the car, who will be the loser?”.
Meanwhile, this marked Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir’s second visit to the US in less than two months, during which he met top American military officials, signalling improving ties between the two countries. Munir held talks with US Joint Chiefs of Staff General John Dan Caine and extended an invitation for him to visit Pakistan, according to a statement from the country’s military wing, as quoted by Bloomberg.