CHIEF of Army Staff General Asim Munir on Thursday warned that any military adventurism by India would be met with an “immediate, resolute and high-level” response.
General Asim Munir made the remarks while observing Exercise Hammer Strike, a large-scale field drill conducted by the army’s Mangla-based Strike Corps to test operational readiness and the integration of modern weaponry in simulated combat conditions.
“Pakistan desires regional peace, but our preparedness and commitment to defend national interests are unwavering,” Munir said, according to a statement from the army’s media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).
The visit of the Army Chief was necessarily part of the internal process of the armed forces to test their preparedness, which assumes greater significance in the prevailing circumstances as India, on the pretext of Pahalgam incident, is bent upon imposing a war on the region in line with its long-term plans to establish regional hegemony and supremacy.
Pakistan is considered as a major hurdle in the way of implementation of this nefarious agenda aimed at terrorizing small neighbours as well as religious minorities in India.
The exercise that the COAS witnessed demonstrated professional excellence of our forces and their resolve to defend the motherland.
It featured a multi-domain display of military power, including long-range artillery, combat helicopters, air support and advanced engineering techniques.
Exercise Hammer Strike is a testament to the Pakistan Army’s ongoing transformation through rigorous training, doctrinal innovation and technological modernization.
Troops from all military branches participated with high levels of coordination, agility and tactical skill and General Munir described the exercise as a reflection of the Pakistan Army’s operational superiority and ongoing advancement in warfare capabilities.
The professional excellence and remarks of the Army Chief have conveyed an unambiguous message that the defence forces of Pakistan were fully motivated and prepared to give a befitting response to the enemy in case of any aggressive move.
The exercise was meticulously designed to validate combat readiness, battlefield synergy and the operational integration of cutting-edge weapon systems under near-battlefield conditions.
A diverse array of advanced capabilities, including multirole fighter aircraft, combat aviation assets, long-range precision artillery and next-generation field engineering techniques, were employed to simulate conventional battlefield scenarios.
Our forces deserve full marks as they are simultaneously fighting on two fronts – the ongoing war against terror and the challenge thrown to the defence and security of the country by aggressive designs of our eastern neighbor.
It is also encouraging that the entire nation stands solidly behind the valiant forces at this critical juncture.
During their meeting on Thursday to review the situation in the wake of belligerent attitude of India, President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif reiterated unwavering commitment to the territorial integrity of the country, adding Pakistan will respond to any aggression in a befitting manner.
All political parties are also unanimous in their resolve to foil designs of the enemy at any cost and the latest statement of PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto Zardari reflected that the nation was fully aware of the real designs of India.
Bilawal, while addressing a public meeting at Mirpurkhas, underlined that India was leveling baseless allegations against Pakistan whereas its real intention is to usurp Pakistan’s share of water under the Indus Basin Treaty.
He also supported the consistent demand of Pakistan for a fair and neutral probe of the Pahalgam incident.
Pakistan’s demand for a neutral investigation is reasonable and that is why it has also been supported even by the likes of Amarjeet Singh Daulat, former head of India’s Research and Analysis Wing (RAW).
The demand is also backed by the international community as confirmed by the clear stance of China prompting Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to thank the friendly country for endorsing his sincere offer to conduct a credible, neutral and transparent international investigation into the Pahalgam incident.
China has also reaffirmed its support to Pakistan to achieve the common desire of both countries to secure peace and stability in South Asia.
Pakistan’s proactive diplomatic campaign is also producing the desired results as more and more countries are urging Pakistan and India to refrain from escalating the tension and try to resolve their differences through discussions and dialogue.
Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar held a telephonic conversation with his South Korean counterpart on Thursday and briefed him on India’s escalating unilateral actions, including the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty.
The South Korean Foreign Minister stressed the importance of diplomacy and the peaceful resolution of issues.
The widely-held belief that the Pahalgam tragedy was a false flag operation by Indian intelligence agency RAW has also been strengthened by the appearance of a confidential document on the messaging platform Telegram.
The document, described as a strategic directive on psy ops and narrative control, has triggered widespread speculation regarding the alleged use of media manipulation and misinformation to frame Pakistans Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) for a planned attack in Indian illegal occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).
The leaked file includes detailed instructions on how the narrative should unfold in the wake of the attack.
Specifically, it advised delaying the attribution of blame to Pakistan by 36 hours in order to appear credible.
However, Indian media reportedly began assigning blame immediately, which undermined the strategy and exposed contradictions in the plan.
We hope the operational preparedness of our defence forces, clear stance of the national leadership to defend the territorial integrity of the country and growing understanding of the international community of Pakistan’s just stance on the prevailing situation in the region will send the right kind of message to India not to disturb peace of the region for political expediency.
Unfortunately, Indian leadership and media created hype by assigning blame of the incident on Pakistan without waiting for an investigation and now they find it difficult to back down.
However, prudence demands India must respond to Pakistan’s offer of neutral probe as this will provide New Delhi an opportunity to substantiate its allegations against Pakistan.
Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif has reiterated that Islamabad remains open to any neutral inquiry mechanism, including a United Nations Commission or a joint probe by countries maintaining relations with both India and Pakistan.
Instead of indulging in acts that could imperil peace in the region, India should cooperate if it has nothing to hide.
