PRIME Minister Shehbaz said on Sunday Marka-e-Haq was etched in history as an epic feat of achieving overwhelming dominance over an enemy bent on unprovoked aggression and the adversary was administered a heavy dose of reality serum to dispel its illusion of invincibility.
In his message on the first anniversary of the victory, he said, well-coordinated and synchronized response of Pakistani forces across land, sea, air and cyber domains established Pakistan as an invincible nation. Meanwhile, Field Marshal Asim Munir, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) and Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), warned India of painful, far-reaching and dangerous consequences of any future misadventure. Addressing a ceremony to mark the anniversary, he said Pakistan’s success in Marka-e-Haq had strengthened the country’s diplomatic standing, with the international community recognizing Pakistan as an ‘unconquerable force’ and an indispensable regional reality.
Pakistan and India fought several wars but the May 2025 war changed the course of history for both countries as the chilling response given by our defence forces thoroughly humiliated the enemy that missed no opportunity since 1947 to harm Pakistan in different ways. It was always India, which imposed war on Pakistan on different occasions on different pretexts, on the strength of its superiority in conventional weapons but last year Pakistan proved to India as well as to the world community that its conventional defence was also invincible. The professional capabilities and resolve of Pakistan Army, Pakistan Navy and Pakistan Air Force made the adversary retreat and beg for a ceasefire. The prompt and courageous response that Pakistan gave to India conveyed a clear message that the defence forces and the nation were vigilant and fully prepared to foil designs of the enemy. The Prime Minister rightly pointed out that Pakistan clearly manifested its desire for peace, while re-establishing deterrence and safeguarding its security, sovereignty and territorial integrity. However, he declared that there should be no doubt that any aggression to undermine Pakistan would be met with an immediate, befitting and full-spectrum response. This is not a mere statement but a firm resolve backed by ideological determination and professionalism, a glimpse of which was seen during Marka-e-Haq. All the three forces excelled in discharging their professional responsibilities but the performance of Pakistan Air Force (PAF) was monumental and it played a dominant role in determining the fate of the conflict within four days. As highlighted by the CDF, under the leadership of the PAF chief, the Shaheens of Pakistan Air Force made the air force of the enemy bite the dust and set a precedent of unique, result-oriented and long aerial battle.” The PAF Shaheens not only shot down fighter jets of the enemy but also destroyed many of its military installations, limiting their aircraft to the ground. Similarly, it was because of the vigilance and preparedness of the Pakistan Navy that ships of the enemy could not dare implement their nefarious designs. The fact remains Pakistan demonstrated utmost restraint PAF did not target more Indian aircraft despite its ability to do so whereas the Pakistan Navy was in a position to sink the Indian aircraft carrier. As the anniversary was observed in the backdrop of India’s use of water as a weapon against Pakistan, it should serve as a sharp reminder to exercise all-encompassing vigilance to defend interests of the motherland on all fronts – military, diplomatic, strategic and economic. We have all along been emphasizing in these columns that Pakistan cannot afford to enter into an arms race with India but security and sovereignty of the country demands initiation of focused programmes to bolster defence in every respect. This means apart from continued development of nuclear, missile and drone programmes, Pakistan should mount a diplomatic offensive to expose Indian designs to harm the country economically through water aggression.
