Commemorating Operation Maarka-e-Haq

Zahid ul Hassan 10th May 2025, Pakistani nation commemorates the first anniversary of ‘Operation Maarka-e-Haq’ which was conducted in response to the unprovoked Indian military strikes against Pakistan under the so-called ‘Operation Sindoor’ from 6/7 May till 10th May 2025. The four-day war was a powerful statement by the defence forces of Pakistan in general and the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) in particular against the Indian misadventure and blatant aggression that not only deflated the bubble of net security provider of India but also redefined the geopolitical landscape of South Asia. The short but intense war conveyed clear messages to the Indian leadership that; (i) under the nuclear overhang, there was no space for any type/level of war; (ii) Pakistan was a peer competitor to India even in the conventional domain and (iii) any attempts to challenge the deterrence and disturb the strategic stability of the region would be dealt with befitting response. As a direct consequence of the crisis, Pakistan’s position was consolidated as the rational player and the regional security stabilizer while resulting in geopolitical and geostrategic backsliding of India.As a student of geopolitical history, one can vividly recall that India, while applying the old playbook of using the false flag operation (this time it was at Pehalgam on 22 April 2025, in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, used all its State machinery to implicate Pakistan with the incident. Instead of agreeing to Pakistan’s offer for a joint/third party investigation of the incident, without providing even a hint of proof, India was making all possible efforts to link Pakistan with Pehalgam incident, especially for its Western apologists. As late as till the evening of 6th May 2025, even the Western diplomats and media were appeared to be dancing to the Indian tune/propaganda.Bolstered by the Western geopolitical backing and false sense of military superiority, India launched airstrikes across th