'Etched in history': PM Shehbaz says Pakistan can neither be 'intimidated nor subdued by any aggressor' as nation marks first anniversary of Marka-i-Haq

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Saturday that Pakistan can neither be “intimidated nor subdued by any aggressor” as the nation marks the first anniversary of Marka-i-Haq. Last year’s confrontation with India, beginning with the April 22 Pahalgam attack and the subsequent military conflict — which resulted as a resounding victory for Pakistan — until the ceasefire on May 10, is now referred to by the state as Marka-i-Haq (Battle of Truth). “Marka-e-Haq bears testimony that Pakistanis are a peace-loving, yet courageous, resilient, and dignified nation who can neither be intimidated nor subdued by any aggressor,” said the premier in a statement released by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). The prime minister, expressing his gratitude to the Almighty, said the day commemorates Pakistan’s “valiant stand in adversity” and the “crushing defeat” inflicted upon India. “The nation pays tribute to its martyrs, their families and the ghazis who stood like a steel wall to defend their homeland,” said the statement. The premier said the well-coordinated and synchronised response by Pakistan’s armed forces across land, sea, air and cyber domains established Pakistan as an “invincible nation”. He said Marka-e-Haq is etched in history as an “epic feat of achieving overwhelming dominance over an enemy, bent on unprovoked aggression”. PM Shehbaz maintained that India was administered a “heavy dose of reality serum to dispel its illusion of invincibility”. He maintained that there should be no doubt that any aggression to undermine the country will be met with immediate, befitting and full-spectrum response, adding that the nation “stand determined and vigilant to ensure security” along its frontiers. The premier also paid tribute to Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of the Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir for his bold and courageous leadership and Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber and Admiral Naveed Ashraf for their strategic prudence, added the statement. “We also s