Says Pakistan’s defenses are now ‘completely impregnable’ against external aggression
Chief of Defense Field Marshal Asim Munir speaking at A grand ceremony commemorating the end of a year of Pakistan’s landmark victory in Marka-e-Haq was held at GHQ, Rawalpindi. SCREEN GRAB
ISLAMABAD:
The Chief of Defense Staff (CDF) and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir said on Sunday that Pakistan, its people and armed forces had achieved “unprecedented success by the grace of Allah”, describing. Marka-e-Haq as a decisive battle between two ideologies in which “truth prevailed and falsehood was defeated”.
The term “Marka-e-Haq” refers to the 2025 conflict with India, which began with the Pahalgam attack on April 22 and ended with a ceasefire on May 10 following Operation Bunyanum Marsoos.
A grand ceremony marking the end of a year of Pakistan’s victory in Marka-e-Haq was held at GHQ, Rawalpindi, state television. Radio Pakistan reported.
In the beginning, Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Babar Sidhu and Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Naveed Ashraf laid a floral wreath at Yadgar-e-Shuhada.
CDF Munir also laid a floral wreath at the Yadgar-e-Shuhada and offered fateha for the departed souls of the martyrs.
Addressing the ceremony as the chief guest, CDF Munir said that Pakistan, its people and armed forces had achieved an unprecedented success by the grace of Allah. “Marka-e-Haq was a decisive battle between two ideologies where truth prevailed and falsehood faced defeat,” he said.
He added that Pakistan would never allow any attempt to destabilize the regional balance of power. The field marshal said that India dreams of targeting Pakistan through military aggression and diplomatic isolation, “This dream is far beyond its capability and Pakistan will never allow it to succeed,” he said.
He paid tribute to all the martyrs and veterans Marka-e-Haqespecially the innocent women, elderly people and children who were martyred in the name of the nation and the Pakistan Armed Forces. He said that the sacrifices of the martyrs are a trust, our strength is a responsibility and our success is a blessing from Almighty Allah.
He added that the message from the people and the national leadership is that there will be no compromise on national sovereignty, territorial integrity and national dignity.
CDF Munir said the alleged false flag operations in 2001, 2008, 2016 and 2019 reflected what he described as India’s repeated but failed attempts to impose an illegitimate conflict on Pakistan.
He added that such efforts were aimed at pursuing narrow political and military goals through accusations, exaggeration, war-mongering and what he called a misleading narrative of limited aggression.
CDF Munir said that India suffered severe human and material losses as a result of this war, the cost of which it will continue to pay for a long time to come. He said the “Fatah missiles” and “Shaheens” of Pakistan Air Force (PAF) successfully targeted more than 26 enemy military targets. He added, “Alhamdulillah, Pakistan’s defense today is completely impregnable against any external aggression.”
The field marshal warned that “any future adventurism against Pakistan would not have limited consequences but would be extremely dangerous, far-reaching and painful”.
He further stated that the Defense Headquarters has been established to align Pakistan’s armed forces with modern requirements.
CDF Munir also noted that modern warfare would be multi-domain in nature, involving long-range weapons, drones, cyber capabilities and artificial intelligence.
He noted that Pakistan’s leadership and representatives effectively conveyed the country’s position on the global stage and achieved significant progress on the diplomatic front. He also commended the media, journalists and especially the youth for countering enemy propaganda, cyber warfare and psychological operations in a manner he described as unparalleled.
He described the strategic mutual defense agreement between Pakistan and its brotherly Islamic country, Saudi Arabia, as an important milestone in Pakistan’s diplomatic achievements. He said that today, through effective, responsible and non-aligned diplomacy, Pakistan is hosting historic peace talks known as the “Islamabad Talks”. He added that considering that conventional war with Pakistan is impossible, India is again resorting to the path of malicious terrorism.
He urged Afghanistan to remove terrorist centers and sanctuaries from its soil. He paid tribute to the brave people of Pakistan, especially in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, and to the brave personnel of the armed forces and law enforcement agencies. He said that Pakistan would avenge every drop of innocent Pakistani blood and that the fight against terrorism would continue till the elimination of the last terrorist. He reaffirmed continued political, diplomatic and moral support to the Kashmiri people.
He said Pakistan’s destination is what its forefathers envisioned. He added that Pakistan’s green crescent flag is a symbol of hope and its armed forces are organized and always ready. He said that the Pakistani nation is the strength of the country and the armed forces are the strength of the nation. He stated that the future of Pakistan is, God willing, bright and prosperous. He said that when truth and lies confront each other, the victory always belongs to the truth. Pakistan was invincible yesterday, is invincible today and will remain invincible in future, he concluded.
Pahalgam attack and Marka-e-Haq
On 22 April 2025, the escalation between Pakistan and India began when an attack in Pahalgam killed 26 people. India immediately blamed Pakistan for the incident. However, Pakistan categorically denied the Indian blame.
In response, India took a series of hostile actions the next day, on 23 April 2025, including suspending the 65-year-old Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), canceling visas for Pakistani nationals, closing the Wagah-Attari border crossing, ordering the closure of the Pakistan High Commission’s diplomatic staff in New Delhi, as well as other diplomatic embassies in Pakistan.
Tensions escalated further in the early hours of 7 May 2025 when missile attacks hit six towns in Punjab and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), destroying a mosque and killing dozens of civilians, including women, children and the elderly.
In a swift military response, Pakistan’s armed forces shot down Indian warplanes, including three Rafale jets. The confrontation intensified again in the early hours of 10 May 2025 when India targeted several Pakistani air bases with missile strikes. In retaliation, Pakistan launched Operation Bunyanum Marsoos, damaging Indian military installations, including missile sites, air bases and other strategic targets.
On 10 May 2025, US President Donald Trump announced that a ceasefire had been reached after intense overnight diplomatic efforts. Minutes later, the agreement was confirmed separately by Pakistan’s foreign minister Ishaq Dar and the Indian foreign minister.
