Pakistan Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, who is visiting the United States for the second time since the four-day conflict with India, has issued a nuclear threat against India, warning that Islamabad would "take half the world down" with it, if his country faces an existential threat in the future from New Delhi.
Munir issued this nuclear threat from US soil during a black-tie dinner he hosted for businessman Adnan Asad, who serves as Pakistan's honorary consul in Tampa.
'We'll take half the world down with us': Munir
"We are a nuclear nation, if we think we are going down, we'll take half the world down with us," ThePrint quoted Munir as saying at the event in Tampa.
The remarks mark the first recorded instance of a nuclear threat being made from US territory against a third country.
Munir also took aim at India over the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, warning that India's decision to suspend it could endanger 250 million people with the risk of starvation.
"We will wait for India to build a dam, and when it does so, 10 missiles se faarigh kar denge (we will destroy it with 10 missiles)," he said, adding, The Indus river is not the Indians’ family property. Humein missilon ki kami nahin hai, al-Hamdulillah (we have no shortage of missiles, Praise be to God)," Munir said, as quoted by ThePrint, citing sources.
Munir compares India to Mercedes, Pakistan to dump truck
Munir reportedly made several references to the conflict with India during his speech. "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. Surah Fil is a verse which describes how Allah sent birds to drop stones on an enemy's battle elephants and reduced them to "chewed-up straw".
"We'll start from India's East, where they have located their most valuable resources, and then move westwards," Munir was quoted as saying by ThePrint.
Using what he termed a 'crude analogy', the Field Marshal said at a Pakistani community event in Tampa, Florida, "India is shining Mercedes coming on a highway like Ferrari [sic], but we are a dump truck full of gravel. If the truck hits the car, who is going to be the loser?"
Guests at the event were prohibited from carrying cellphones or other digital devices, and no official transcript of the speech was released. ThePrint reconstructed the address based on recollections of several attendees.
In Tampa, Munir attended the Retirement Ceremony of outgoing US Central Command (CENTCOM) Commander General Michael E. Kurilla, and the Change of Command Ceremony, marking the assumption of command by Admiral Brad Cooper.
In June, Munir 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.
Munir's visit came just over a month after the US general described Pakistan as a "phenomenal partner" in counterterrorism efforts during a congressional hearing, where he also praised Pakistan's role "in promoting peace and stability" in the region.
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