Nation and army have always stood united, will remain so, says ISPR chief

• India thought Pakistan wouldn't respond to attacks: Chaudhry. 
• ISPR spokesperson says we prefer peace as our first choice. 
• Lt Gen Chaudhry says India is face behind much of terrorism.

ISLAMABAD: Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry has said the Pakistani nation and its armed forces have always been united and will remain so in the future as well.

Addressing students of various Khyber Pakhtunkhwa universities, the military top spokesperson said: "They [India] thought we would attack and Pakistan wouldn't respond. You saw how all of you stood behind your country. The entire Pakistan stood united and, by the grace of Allah, this iron wall was erected."

He remarked while pointing towards unity among Pakistanis amid recent tensions between Pakistan and India that flared after the Pahalgam attack.

At least 26 people were killed in the April 22 attack on tourists in the scenic part of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir's (IIOJK) Pahalgam. Following this, India immediately blamed Pakistan for the attack without providing a shred of evidence corroborating the claim, which has been denied by Islamabad, and launched a series of small cross-border attacks before launching missile strikes inside the country.

The ISPR DG said that all the strategies devised by India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi were systematically disproven by Pakistan's decisive actions.

He recounted Pakistan's retaliatory measures following the May 6-7 incidents. He revealed that Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir decided to respond at 26 Indian locations.

Pakistan's armed forces launched a large-scale retaliatory military action after India's persistent attacks on May 10, named "Operation Bunyan-um-Marsoos", and targeted several Indian military targets across multiple regions.

After at least 87 hours, the war, provoked by India, ended on the same day with a ceasefire agreement brokered by the United States.

The army spokesperson also said the Indian brigade headquarters, responsible for the attack that led to the martyrdom of 7-year-old Irtaza in Azad Jammu and Kashmir's (AJK) Muzaffarabad, was subsequently destroyed by Pakistani forces.

Furthermore, he added that the Indian airbases from which their aircraft took off on May 6 and 7 were also targeted and destroyed.

In contrast to the enemy's conduct, Lt Gen Chaudhry said that the Pakistan Army adhered to international norms. "Did your [Pakistan] army target any civilian infrastructure, any civilian population? No," he said while addressing a large number of varsity students.

"We are peace-loving and prefer peace as our first choice," the DG ISPR said, warning India of a more fierce response if it repeated "this stupidity".

On prevailing terrorism, he said that India is the face behind much of the terrorism occurring in this region, including Pakistan.

He added that those who attack mosques and slaughter innocent people have no connection to Islam. These individuals do not represent the traditions of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa or the Pashtun culture. "These terrorists are followers of India," he said.

Referring to a militant named Khargi Noorwali, the military's spokesperson said: "He claims that Shariah permits seeking help from non-believers. But in Islam, truth and falsehood cannot exist together."

Lt Gen Chaudhry added, "You seek help from India, a country where the dignity of Kashmiri girls is violated."

The military spokesperson further said that Afghanistan is a brotherly neighbouring Islamic country of Pakistan. "The issue lies with its elite — those who accept Indian money, are bought off, and are then used against Pakistan."

He urged the Afghans not to give shelter to terrorists within their country.