Pakistan Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif said on Tuesday (May 13) that the country’s offensive against India was a “grand success”, declaring that the achievement be celebrated on May 10 every year.
May 10 was when a ceasefire was agreed between the two neighbours, hours after Pakistan launched a military operation against India, which it said targeted an Indian missile storage facility and air bases.
“The Day of Struggle for Truth will be celebrated every year across the country with enthusiasm and spirit of national unity,” the government said on X.
The ceasefire appeared to be holding on Tuesday after four days of intense jetfighter, missile, drone and artillery attacks - the worst violence between the two nuclear-armed neighbours since 1999.
The conflict followed an Apr 22 attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir, which killed 26 civilians. India accused Pakistan of backing the attack, but Islamabad denied involvement.
In a televised address to the nation on Monday, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed to respond strongly to any future “terrorist attack”, and warned that New Delhi would not tolerate “nuclear blackmail” in the event of further conflict with Pakistan.
“If another terrorist attack against India is carried out, a strong response will be given,” he said.
Pakistan politicians reacted strongly to Modi’s comments.
Geo News reported that Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said Modi was speaking like a “defeated gambler” who has nothing left, while Senator Irfan Siddiqui saw Modi’s speech as a “clear admission of humiliating defeat”.
Asif added that Pakistan is a major victim of terrorism, accusing India of sponsoring defunct organisations to undermine peace in the country.
Kashmir has been at the centre of two wars between India and Pakistan, and remains a source of tension.
Both India and Pakistan claim the Himalayan region in full but rule it in part. India governs the Kashmir Valley, Jammu and Ladakh, while Pakistan controls Azad Kashmir and the northern areas.
- Agencies
