Abdul Basit Alvi
At a major briefing at the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi, Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, joined by senior officials from Pakistan’s navy, air force, and strategic commands, marked the first anniversary of Marka-e-Haq, or the Battle for Truth, by emphasizing Pakistan’s security resolve, restraint, preparedness, and unity. He described the confrontation with a stronger adversary as a modern multi-domain conflict involving land, air, sea, cyber operations, and cognitive warfare over narratives and public perception. According to Chaudhry, Pakistan faced fake news, manipulated videos, and coordinated social media disinformation campaigns targeting soldiers, civilians, and allies, but the armed forces responded with disciplined, evidence-based communication instead of emotional reactions, frustrating opponents expecting panic. He praised Pakistani personnel for using indigenous systems and innovative tactics despite technological and economic disadvantages, and said Marka-e-Haq symbolizes survival, unity, and strategic wisdom rather than destruction. Addressing the Pahalgam incident in Indian-administered Kashmir, he rejected Indian allegations against Pakistan-based militants as baseless due to the lack of forensic evidence, witness testimony, or intelligence disclosures, criticized India for refusing joint investigations, and compared the situation to the aftermath of the Pulwama attack. He argued that India uses such accusations to divert attention from alleged human rights abuses in Kashmir, economic problems, and social unrest while encouraging nationalism and military spending. Chaudhry also accused Indian agencies of supporting terrorism and false flag operations inside Pakistan through militant groups allegedly operating from Afghan territory, claiming Pakistani intelligence had traced financial links, operatives, and money transfers connected to attacks on Pakistani targets. He stated that India stages cross-border attacks while portraying itself as a victim of terrorism and insisted Pakistan fully understands the threats it faces and will not be deceived by what he called theatrical accusations. Despite these provocations, he repeatedly emphasized that Pakistan exercised restraint as a strategic choice rather than weakness because it values human life and diplomacy, while warning that restraint has limits and the armed forces remain ready to respond to aggression at any time and on any front. He revealed that during recent tensions Pakistan placed air defence systems on high alert, deployed naval ships to key chokepoints, stationed special forces along the eastern border, and kept ballistic missiles on standby without fueling or arming them, signaling that Pakistan is neither helpless nor afraid. He praised military coordination among the army, navy, and air force, highlighted successful real-time joint exercises without communication failures, and commended civilian leadership for supporting the military without political interference, calling this unity Pakistan’s greatest strength and reassuring citizens concerned about war through his calm and factual tone.
Chaudhry also reaffirmed Pakistan’s position that Kashmir remains an unresolved issue under United Nations resolutions granting the people of Jammu and Kashmir the right to self-determination, accused India of violating these resolutions for decades and illegally revoking the special status of Indian-administered Kashmir in August 2019, and declared that Pakistan would never abandon the Kashmiri people. He described the Kashmir movement as a political and indigenous struggle rather than terrorism, accused India of suppressing protests through pellet guns, curfews, mass arrests, and detentions without trial, and urged the international community and human rights organizations to investigate conditions in the region. He reiterated that Pakistan seeks a peaceful resolution through dialogue based on UN resolutions, rejected India’s claim that Kashmir is an internal matter, warned that unresolved disputes threaten regional peace, and stressed that Pakistan would continue diplomatic, moral, and political support for Kashmir, a stance that strongly resonated with the Pakistani public because of their emotional and religious connection to the issue. Beyond external threats, Chaudhry highlighted national unity and counterterrorism efforts as key pillars of Pakistan’s security strategy, praising political parties, civil society, social media campaigns, and even religious minorities for showing solidarity with the armed forces during recent tensions, which he said surprised Pakistan’s enemies who expected internal divisions. He also provided updates on counterterrorism operations, claiming attacks inside Pakistan declined significantly after targeted operations against militant infrastructure in Afghanistan.
To Be Continued
