New Delhi: Days after Pakistan Army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir issued a nuclear threat against India and described his own country as a “dumper truck,” Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said the remarks reflected a “predatory mindset” and amounted to an admission of Islamabad’s “failure.”
Taking a swipe at Munir’s warning that Pakistan could unleash nuclear weapons against India and “half the world” in a future conflict, Singh said Pakistan must shed such “delusions,” especially after Operation Sindoor.
Speaking at the Economic Times World Leaders’ Forum, Singh said Munir comparing Pakistan to a “dumper truck” and India to a “Mercedes” exposed Pakistan’s own shortcomings.
Munir, in an address to the Pakistani diaspora in Florida, had said: “India is shining like a Mercedes, coming on a highway like a Ferrari, but we are a dumper truck full of gravel. If the truck hits the car, who is going to be the loser?”
Singh said this was nothing but an acknowledgment of Pakistan’s failure.
“If two countries became independent at the same time and one, through foresight and sound policies, built an economy like a Ferrari, while the other remained stuck as a dumper, then it is their own failure,” he added.
Without directly naming the nuclear threat, Singh said Operation Sindoor had already demonstrated India’s resolve in tackling security challenges.
“Pakistan’s army chief, knowingly or unknowingly, has pointed towards a predatory mentality (kabilai aur looteri mansikta) that has plagued the country since its inception,” he said.
He stressed that India must keep its defence strength and fighting spirit alive alongside economic and cultural growth.
“India’s vision is development and peace—not in isolation, but collective development,” Singh said.
Operation Sindoor, launched on May 7 in retaliation to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, targeted terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan-controlled areas. The strikes triggered four days of heavy clashes before both sides agreed to halt military actions on May 10.
Singh also invited global investors to tap into India’s defence sector.
“I appeal to all foreign companies to invest in India’s vibrant defence-manufacturing ecosystem. Our ‘Make in India’ is not confined to India—when you make in India, you make for the world,” he said.
