ISLAMABAD – Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called out India for orchestrating terrorism inside Pakistan through proxy militant groups after suffering what he called humiliating defeat during Marka-e-Haq conflict that unfolded between April 22 and May 10 last year.
Addressing charged special session marking Kashmir Solidarity Day at Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly in Muzaffarabad, the prime minister declared that lasting peace in South Asia is impossible as long as India continues its “aggressive, expansionist agenda and shadow conspiracies.”
Sharif’s hard-hitting remarks came in wake of deadly wave of attacks in Balochistan, which Pakistan says were carried out by India-backed Fitna al-Hindustan, also known as the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA). On January 31, terrorists targeted innocent civilians across multiple districts, including Quetta, Mastung, Nushki, Dalbandin, Kharan, Panjgur, Tump, Gwadar, and Pasni, sending shockwaves across the province.
Pakistan’s security forces now successfully concluded Operation Raddul Fitna-1, a major counterterrorism campaign involving coordinated intelligence-based operations across the region. The operation resulted in the elimination of at least 216 terrorists. However, the cost was heavy: 36 innocent civilians, including women and children, along with 22 security and law enforcement personnel, embraced martyrdom.
Standing firmly with Kashmiris, Prime Minister Shehbaz said the gathering symbolised Pakistan’s unwavering solidarity with its “brothers and sisters” in Indian-occupied Kashmir. Paying glowing tribute to the martyrs of the Kashmiri freedom struggle, he vowed that their sacrifices would never be forgotten or wasted.
“The history of Kashmir is written in sacrifice,” he said, adding that Kashmiris have consistently chosen freedom over submission, even at the cost of their children. He stressed that their daily resistance continues to expose the truth to the world.
Calling Kashmir the “jugular vein of Pakistan,” the prime minister asserted that Kashmir has never been part of India and never will be. He praised the decisive success of Marka-e-Haq, crediting its victory to the leadership of Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir, saying the triumph shattered India’s arrogance and reignited global attention on the Kashmir dispute.
PM also hailed Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar for forcefully projecting Pakistan’s stance on international platforms, stating that India’s diplomatic narrative had been buried. “This victory belongs not only to Pakistan but to the people of Kashmir,” he declared, adding that India has no option left but to grant Kashmiris their right to self-determination.
