Pakistan’s nuclear capabilities have come under intense global scrutiny following a provocative statement by its Army Chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, during a speech in Tampa, Florida, on August 10, 2025. Addressing a gathering of Pakistani-origin residents at a private dinner hosted by businessman Adnan Asad, Pakistan’s honorary consul in Tampa, Munir declared, “We are a nuclear nation. If we think we are going down, we’ll take half the world down with us.” He tied this warning to India’s suspension of certain provisions of the Indus Waters Treaty, a move prompted by the Pahalgam terror attack in April 2025 that claimed 26 lives.

Munir further threatened to destroy any Indian dams built on the Indus River, stating, “We will wait for India to build a dam, and when it does so, we will destroy it with 10 missiles. The Indus River is not the Indians’ family property.” These remarks, the first known nuclear threats issued from U.S. soil against a third country, have drawn sharp condemnation from India’s Ministry of External Affairs, which labeled them “irresponsible” and indicative of Pakistan’s questionable nuclear command and control. But how credible is Munir’s rhetoric? A closer look at Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal reveals a potent yet regionally focused capability, far from the global reach implied by his words.

According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) 2025 Yearbook, Pakistan possesses an estimated 170 nuclear warheads, a figure unchanged since 2024. This places Pakistan slightly behind India, which holds approximately 172 warheads. Pakistan’s arsenal is built around a nuclear triad strategy, encompassing land-based ballistic and cruise missiles, air-delivered weapons, and an emerging sea-based component. The SIPRI report notes ongoing development of new delivery systems, suggesting potential growth in the arsenal over the next decade. However, Pakistan’s capabilities are primarily designed for regional deterrence, with India as the main focus, rather than global reach.

Pakistan’s most advanced ballistic missile, the Shaheen-3, has a range of 2,750 km, capable of striking anywhere in India and parts of the Middle East, but it falls short of intercontinental targets like East Asia, Western Europe, or North America. The Ababeel missile, still in development, is designed to carry multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicles (MIRVs), potentially countering India’s S-400 missile defense system.

However, as of early 2025, the Ababeel remains non-operational, with its MIRV capabilities unverified. Other missiles, such as the Shaheen-II (1,500–2,000 km), Ghauri-II (over 2,000 km), Fatah-II (400 km, hypersonic), and short-range systems like Abdali (200–300 km), Ghaznavi (290–320 km), and Nasr (70 km), are tailored for tactical or regional roles. All are dual-capable, able to carry conventional or nuclear warheads, but their ranges limit Pakistan’s reach to regional targets.

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The air-based component relies on aging Mirage III and possibly Mirage V aircraft, with the domestically produced JF-17 fighter expected to take over in the future, equipped with the Ra’ad air-launched cruise missile. The Ra’ad, in two variants, is still under development and not fully operational. Unconfirmed reports suggest Pakistan may have modified U.S.-supplied F-16s for nuclear delivery, but the nuclear role is likely exclusive to Mirage aircraft for now. The naval leg of the triad is the least developed, with the Babur-3 sea-launched cruise missile (450 km range) intended for Agosta-90B submarines. Tested in 2017 and 2018, it is not yet fully operational, limiting Pakistan’s second-strike capability.

Pakistan’s 1998 nuclear tests demonstrated yields of approximately 12 kilotons, with some estimates suggesting advancements in boosted fission warheads up to 40 kilotons. There is no open-source evidence of thermonuclear weapons. In peacetime, warheads are stored separately from delivery systems, with around eight reserved for future systems like the Shaheen-III or cruise missiles. The International Panel on Fissile Materials estimates Pakistan has 0.58 tonnes of plutonium and 5.3 tonnes of highly enriched uranium, supporting its ability to maintain or expand its arsenal.

Munir’s claim of “taking half the world down” exaggerates Pakistan’s capabilities.

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