On Marka-i-Haq's first anniversary, PM Shehbaz commemorates Pakistan's 'historic response' to India

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif recalled the “historic” response of Pakistan to India during Marka-i-Haq on Sunday as he addressed a ceremony held at the Pakistan Monument in Islamabad to commemorate the episode of conflict. The conflict with India — starting from the April 22 Pahalgam attack to the end of Operation Bunyanum Marsoos with a ceasefire between the two countries on May 10 — has been called “Marka-i-Haq” (Battle of Truth) by the state. President Asif Ali Zardari and Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir were among those attending the ceremony in Islamabad, where Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Naveed Ashraf and Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmad Baber Sidhu were also present. PM Shehbaz began his address by observing one minute of silence for those martyred during the period of conflict. Recalling the conflict, PM Shehbaz said that India “using Pahalgam as an excuse, made baseless accusations against us”. And despite Pakistan offering a transparent investigation into the incident, the “enemy, in the dark of the night, attacked our mosques and children, imposing an unprovoked war on us”. “Our brave armed forces gave a historic response to the attack that the enemy carried out in the darkness of the night,” he said, adding that “our Shaheens dominated the conflict”. Consequently, he continued, India was compelled to request a ceasefire after four hours. He also noted that even one year after the Pahalgam attack, India had not been able to present any evidence of Pakistan’s alleged involvement in the incident. “There is no doubt that Operation Bunyanum Marsoos is not just a historic win but also a glowing victory of our national honour, principles and self-respect,” he added. The premier announced that ‘Youm-i-Bunyanum Marsoos’ would be celebrated on May 10 every year from now onwards. He paid tributes to the armed forces, particularly mentioning CDF Munir, who he said had set new examples of “bravery and courage