'No limits in defending sovereignty': COAS warns against misreading Pakistan's resolve

• India's recklessness met with Pakistan's resolute response: COAS.
• "Success of Marka-e-Haq will never recite from Indian memory."
• COAS reiterates resolve to defend motherland at all costs.
  

KARACHI: Field Marshal Asim Munir, Chief of Army Staff, has castigated India for undertaking acts of unprovoked aggression against Pakistan, saying the assumption that the country would show restraint in the face of future violations of its sovereignty "is a dangerous misreading of its strategic fundamentals".

"As we steadily, but surely, build our comprehensive national power, any enemy acting on the perceived vulnerability of Pakistan under the illusion of strategic impunity or miscalculation, would get a swift and a very befitting response," he said while addressing Pakistan Naval Academy's passing out ceremony.

Last month, Pakistan and India engaged in the heaviest fighting in decades between each other in decades, which was sparked by an April 22 attack in Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir that killed 26 people. New Delhi blamed "terrorists" backed by Pakistan, a charge Islamabad denies.

India launched unprovoked attacks on Pakistan, martyring more than 50 — including security personnel. In response, Pakistan also took down multiple Indian jets and attacked military installations.

Following Pakistan's response, the United States mediated and was able to stop the fighting.

Addressing the ceremony, the army chief noted that India tends to exploit so-called strategic relevance, hubristic mindset, and military capacitation for adventurism aimed at political gains.

"In recent years, under the pretext of counterterrorism, India's political leadership — marked by a troubling absence of strategic foresight — has twice undertaken acts of unprovoked aggression against Pakistan," he said, while referring to Indian aggressions after 2019 Palwama attack and the recent Pahalgam attack.

On both occasions, he said, India's recklessness was met with Pakistan's resolute response, which not only preserved national honour but also averted a dangerous, broader regional escalation.

"Pakistan, despite grave provocations, acted with restraint and maturity and demonstrated its commitment to regional peace and stability, which has led to Pakistan's role as net regional stabiliser," he added.

Furthermore, he said, the onus of an ensuing escalation — one that may ultimately bear catastrophic consequences for the entire region — will squarely lie with the aggressor.

"Pakistan will protect its sovereignty and core national interest decisively and without hesitation," the field marshal said, adding that the success of "multi-domain operations of Marka-e-Haq" shall never recite from the Indian memory.    

He also reiterated Pakistan armed forces' unwavering resolve to defend the motherland at all costs, saying that any attempts by India to divert attention from Pakistan’s progress in counter-terrorism will not succeed.

The COAS pointed out that strategic distractions orchestrated by India occur whenever Pakistan is on the verge of turning the tide decisively against terrorism. "Such adversities have only strengthened our national resolve," he added.

He also reaffirmed the armed forces' commitment to eradicating terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, vowing to take the fight to its logical conclusion.

Reiterating Pakistan’s longstanding position on the Kashmir dispute, he said: "We continue to stand firmly with the people of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) in their just struggle for the right to self-determination, in accordance with United Nations Security Council resolutions and the aspirations of the Kashmiri people."

Refuting Indian claims that equate the Kashmiri resistance with terrorism, he said that the ongoing struggle in IIOJK is a legitimate freedom movement, as recognised by international law and conventions.

"Those who have tried to suppress the Kashmiri people’s will and pursue conflict elimination instead of resolution have only made the movement more relevant through their own actions," he added.

Despite persistent efforts by adversaries to hinder Pakistan's progress, he added that the country remains on its path to development and prosperity. "Our glorious past is a source of pride, and our future holds the promise of fulfilling Pakistan’s manifest destiny," he concluded.