Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has backed Army Chief General Asim Munir’s controversial comparison between India and Pakistan, saying the remark reflects the ground reality of the two neighbours’ military and political positions. Speaking at a seminar in Lahore on Sunday, Naqvi repeated the Army Chief’s “Mercedes versus dump truck” analogy and claimed that Pakistan had “video proof” of downing six Indian aircraft during the recent conflict.

Naqvi Echoes Asim Munir’s Viral ‘Crude Analogy’

Addressing a gathering under the aegis of the Waris Mir Foundation at Aiwan-e-Iqbal, Naqvi said General Munir had used the analogy during a meeting with a Saudi delegation in May, when tensions between India and Pakistan were at their peak following New Delhi’s Operation Sindoor. “India is like a shining Mercedes, but we are like a dumper truck loaded with stones. Imagine the impact if both collide,” Naqvi quoted the Army Chief as saying. He added that the Saudi delegation had remained silent after Munir’s statement. The Pakistan minister also asserted that none of the missiles fired by India had struck critical military targets inside Pakistan, contrary to satellite imagery and evidence released by Indian authorities.

Earlier this month, General Munir, while addressing a private gathering in the United States, had described India as a “shining Mercedes” and Pakistan as a “dump truck full of gravel.” He argued that if both collide, the luxury car would bear the greater loss. The remark sparked widespread trolling on social media, with many users calling it an “accidental admission” of Pakistan’s economic and military weakness compared to India. Some even suggested that the Army Chief’s statement exposed the fragile state of Pakistan’s military and its reliance on nuclear threats.

Pak Minister's Blatant Claims Spark Controversy

Pakistan’s Interior Minister rejected the Indian account and instead claimed that Islamabad’s forces had shot down six Indian aircraft. “We have video footage of all six planes that were destroyed, but we chose not to make it public until the right time,” Naqvi said, without providing any evidence. Naqvi’s assertion of “video proof” of six downed Indian jets is not new. In May, Pakistan’s leadership made similar claims, which were categorically rejected by India. Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, speaking in Singapore, had described Pakistan’s claims as “absolutely incorrect” and reaffirmed that Indian Rafale fighters had not been shot down.

Despite repeated claims, Islamabad has not released any radar data, wreckage images, or verified video footage to substantiate its claims. According to the Indian Air Force (IAF), nine terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir were struck, leading to the elimination of more than 100 terrorists. Indian Air Force Chief, Air Chief Marshal AP Singh, later confirmed that Indian jets shot down six Pakistani aircraft, including five fighter jets and a high-value surveillance platform. Satellite images released by Maxar Technologies showed extensive damage to Pakistani air bases, hangars, and runways.

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India Calls Out ‘Hand-in-Glove’ Pakistan Army

India has consistently maintained that the Pakistani military establishment, under General Munir, is “hand-in-glove with terrorists” and continues to provide safe havens to anti-India groups. After Munir’s nuclear threat earlier this month, where he warned that Pakistan would “take down half the world” if pushed into an existential crisis, New Delhi strongly condemned the rhetoric, calling it “irresponsible and dangerous.”Indian defence officials said Pakistan’s leadership was deliberately escalating tensions through provocative analogies and unverified claims, even as evidence of Indian strikes in May remained visible on high-resolution satellite images.

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Meanwhile, Munir’s analogy continues to be ridiculed online. Social media users posted memes comparing India’s modern defence capabilities to a “missile-loaded Mercedes” and Pakistan to a “rusty dump truck running out of fuel.” “The only truth in Munir’s statement is that India is the Mercedes, and his country is the dump truck. The rest is delusion,” one user wrote on X (formerly Twitter). Another commented, “At least they know their reality—failed marshal admitted Pakistan is pathetic.”As India and Pakistan remain locked in a bitter war of words following Operation Sindoor, Islamabad’s leadership appears to be amplifying the Army Chief’s controversial remarks to project strength.