How many nuclear warheads does 'dump truck' Pakistan have?

Pakistan's Chief of the Army Staff, Field Marshal Asim Munir, continued his grandiloquence during his second trip to the US, issuing a nuclear threat against India, declaring Pakistan would "take half the world down" if challenged.

He had compared his country to a “dump truck” and India to a “shining Mercedes”. “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," he was quoted as saying.

He claimed that if Pakistan faces an existential threat in a future war, it will take down  “half the world” and not just India, with its nuclear weapons.

Pakistan's nuclear capabilities

The most recent assessments from arms control organisations and international watchdogs suggest that Pakistan may have 170 nuclear warheads. The estimate is consistent across forums like Arms Control Association, Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, and ICAN, although one of the SIPRI reports claims it has only 120 warheads.

According to Stockholm International Peace Research Institute or SIPRI, an international institute which focuses on research into conflict, armaments, arms control and disarmament, Pakistan is estimated to have over 120 nuclear weapons for delivery by aircraft and land-based missiles. 

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However, other reports, including another article in SIPRI, suggest that the country may have 170 nuclear warheads.

"Pakistan is estimated to possess approximately 170 nuclear warheads," reads an Arms Control Association fact sheet.

An International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons report too confirms that Pakistan possess 170 nuclear warheads.

"Pakistan’s current warhead designs are believed to use highly enriched uranium (HEU). Pakistan continues to produce HEU for military purposes and its total stockpile was estimated at 2.7–3.5 tonnes in 2014," a SIPRI note reads.

While it is widely believed that in peacetime, Pakistan stores its nuclear warheads separate from their delivery vehicles,  Strategic Plans Division (SPD), which operates Pakistan’s nuclear forces, has not confirmed if there are any such arrangements.

Meanwhile, in comparison, India roughly 170–180 nuclear warheads.