Pakistan’s interior minister, Mohsin Naqvi, has stirred tensions with India by echoing a controversial remark made by Army Chief Asim Munir, comparing India to a “shining Mercedes” and Pakistan to a “dump truck.”Naqvi on Sunday quoted Munir as telling the Saudi delegation, “India is like a shining Mercedes, but we are like a dumper truck, loaded with stones; imagine what happens when the two collide.”According to Naqvi, the Army Chief made the statement during the Saudi delegation’s visit to Pakistan, aimed at de-escalating border tensions between the two neighbouring countries, News International reported. He also claimed that none of the missiles fired by India struck Pakistani targets, despite clear evidence. India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7-2024 in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, targeting nine terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and neutralising over 100 terrorists. Tensions flared as both countries exchanged cross-border fire for four days. Indian Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal AP Singh later confirmed that the Indian Air Force (IAF) shot down six Pakistani aircraft during Operation Sindoor, including five fighter jets and a high-value surveillance platform. He shared satellite imagery and intelligence inputs detailing the extent of damage inflicted on Pakistan’s air fleet and terror infrastructure. Earlier this month, Asim Munir issued a brazen threat to India, stating that Islamabad would take down “half the world” with it if his country faces an existential threat from India in the future. India dismissed his remarks as another example of Islamabad’s “nuclear sabre-rattling” and asserted that New Delhi would not tolerate nuclear blackmail. The central talking point of Munir’s threat was his “crude analogy,” where he described India as a “shining Mercedes” and Pakistan as a “dump truck full of gravel.” “I am going to use a crude analogy to explain the situation,” Munir said. “India is shining Mercedes coming on a highway like Ferrari, but we are a dump truck full of gravel. If the truck hits the car, who is going to be the loser?” His remarks were viciously trolled on social media, with users highlighting Munir’s accidental admission of Pakistan’s poor standing compared to India. “Pakistan’s military might is a myth held together by duct tape and delusions,” a netizen wrote. Russia fired a ballistic missile at Kharkiv, killing nine in Ukraine as President Zelensky landed in the US.
