For years, our neighbour has watched and waited, convinced that Pakistan is a house of cards, ready to collapse at the slightest push. They have listened to our vibrant, often loud, political debates and mistaken the noise of a thriving democracy for the cracking of a nation’s foundations. History, however, keeps telling a different story—a story they refuse to hear. When faced with a true threat, something deep and powerful stirs in the soul of this nation. The many diverse threads of our society weave themselves together into a singular, formidable shield of steel. An expectation of fractures has always been met not with division, but with the unyielding will of a people hardened by decades of challenge.
This reality was never clearer than during the confrontation that will be remembered as our modern-day “Bunyan Um Marsoos”—a name signifying a solid, impenetrable structure. In this moment, India’s grand strategy, built entirely on the fantasy of our internal collapse, shattered against the wall of our unity. They banked on our political disagreements and social fissures to do their work for them. Instead, they faced something they never anticipated: a nation united in a single, silent, and resolute purpose. They came expecting to find the cracks in our walls, but instead, they ran into our soul. What stood against them wasn’t just our soldiers, but the entire nation breathing with them, praying with them. Every citizen, in that moment, felt their heart beat in sync with those on the front line. That’s why the victory was so much more than a military win. It was a victory of our spirit. It was the moment we all looked at each other and remembered the deep, unspoken bond that ties us as a Pakistani together, a bond far stronger than any disagreement that fleetingly divides us.
What is the secret to this resilience? It lies in a mature understanding of what it means to be a nation. We are not a monolithic state; we are a vibrant, living democracy. We argue, we contest, we dissent—these are signs of our health, not our sickness. Our adversaries have consistently misread this energy as a weakness. They fail to grasp the fundamental truth that lies at our core: while we may debate fiercely amongst ourselves, those arguments stop at our borders. There is an unspoken promise among Pakistanis to settle our differences within the framework of our constitution and due process. We collectively reject any hand, foreign or domestic, that tries to turn our debates into divisions. This is the bedrock of our strength—an innate refusal to let the poison of doubt and discord seep into our national soul.
This national will finds its sharpest edge in our armed forces. They are not a separate entity; they are the sons and daughters of this very soil, and their professionalism is a comfort and a source of immense pride for every citizen. Their preparedness is not a boast but a proven fact, honed in the toughest of environments. They stand as a bastion of stability and a credible shield against aggression. Their skill ensures that the insidious schemes of foreign-backed proxies are uprooted before they can poison the land. The trust the nation places in its defenders is absolute, a sacred bond forged in a shared history of sacrifice and success.
But we must not be naive. The challenges have not vanished. The long shadow of this rivalry means that peace is often a lull, not a permanent state. The unity and resolve we have shown in the past will be demanded of us again. We understand that the next test, whenever it may come, will be severe and will require an even greater measure of this national fortitude. The calls for vigilance are not just political rhetoric; they are a clear-eyed assessment of the world we live in.
So let the message be unequivocal. Having joined hands as one to defeat our adversary before, this nation stands ready to do so again. This belief is not born of arrogance, but from the quiet certainty of a people who have looked into the abyss and refused to blink. It is a confidence built on our proven strengths: an unbreakable national spirit, a commitment to resolving our own issues, and the unparalleled guardianship of our armed forces. Our adversary may continue to hope for a fractured state, but what they will encounter, as always, is a nation united, resolute, and unyielding. The path forward demands sobriety and watchfulness, for the next round will be violent. This is not a suggestion. It is an imperative. The nation must brace itself.
A Seat at the Table Withheld: Modi, the G7, and a Diplomatic Chill Turning Bitter
