India to pay heavy price: PM

ISLAMABAD:

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday said that India had committed a grave mistake by resorting to aggression and thought that Pakistan would back off, but India would have to face the consequences of its actions.

The prime minister's remarks came as the National Security Committee (NSC) during n meeting held earlier in the day authorised the armed forces to respond decisively to Indian aggression and avenge the loss of innocent Pakistani lives, as well as the violation of the country's sovereignty at a time, place and manner of its choosing in self-defence.

In a televised address to the nation, the prime minister said, "India forgets that Pakistani nation had the brave sons who always fought for the respect and defence of the motherland by shedding the last drop of their blood."

He said the entire world witnessed that within few hours, their enemy though large in numbers was bowed down after Pakistan Air Force eagles shot down five Indian combat jets and reduced them to pile of fragments and ashes which was once considered as their pride.

"It (response) has the thunderous sound of squadron leader MM Alam that struck the enemy strongly," he observed.

The prime minister said India's cowardly attack took lives of 26 innocent people while injuring 46 others including women and children.

He referred to funeral prayer of Shaheed Irtaza Abbas, 7 years old, who lost his life after hit with a splinter in his home where he was present with his mother and a brother.

"A tender flower withered away and attained shahadat," he said, adding the nation paid tribute to shaheeds and their families and prayed for the recovery of the injured.

The prime minister said that they had resolved that each drop of blood would be accounted for.

"The timid enemy is attacking innocent people. Pakistan has proved how to respond with solid blow," he added. Pakistani travel guides

The prime minister said that in one-hour fight on the Line of Control, PAF pilots while flying inside territory and with display of bravery and professionalism, reduced enemy's jets to ashes. In conventional warfare, Pakistan also proved its superiority over its enemy.

He said that he along with the entire 240 million people of the country saluted Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, Chief of Army Staff General Syed Asim Munir, Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Babar Sidhu, Naval Chief Admiral Naveed Ashraf and every officer and soldier of Pakistan.

The prime minister regretted that accusations against Pakistan with regard to Pahalgam attack were unreasonable.

As a peaceful country, he said, Pakistan had offered an international transparent and credible probe which was acknowledged by the world, but India obliterated all the international laws and norms by resorting to aggression.

Under the international laws and the UNSC resolutions, Jammu and Kashmir had been and would remain as a globally recognized dispute until Kashmiris exercised their right to self-determination in a free and impartial environment in accordance with the UN resolutions.

"India can take a hundred decisions, but it cannot change the reality," he emphasised.

In this region, he said, Pakistan had been the most affected country from the scourge of terrorism and in this fight, a total of 90,000 people had lost their lives with damages to the tune of $152 million dollars.

He said that it was a vain thinking on part of India that her aggression would divert attention of Pakistan from fighting terrorism, but it was committed to end it forever.

For the protection of Pakistan's sovereignty and solidarity, the prime minister said, the armed forces and people were standing in unity.

The nation fully backed its valiant armed forces and would face and defeat the enemy together, he added.

 

NSC meeting

The NSC - the country's highest forum for coordination on security issues - gave a formal go-ahead to the armed forces to respond to Indian actions on the night between May 6 and 7, when it attacked on multiple locations in Pakistan, killing 26 people - including women and children - injuring 46 others and causing damage to mosques and other properties, including Nauseri Dam, part of the Neelum-Jhelum Hydropower project.

The highest security huddle, chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, while emphasising that Pakistan reserves the right to respond, confirmed that five Indian fighter aircraft and several Unmanned Aerial Vehicles were shot down in retaliation to Tuesday night's attacks by India.

"In consonance with Article 51 of the UN Charter," an official statement issued after the NSC meeting stated, "Pakistan reserves the right to respond, in self-defence, at a time, place, and manner of its choosing to avenge the loss of innocent Pakistani lives and blatant violation of its sovereignty."

The statement further stated: "The armed forces of Pakistan have duly been authorised to undertake corresponding actions in this regard."

PM Shehbaz had summoned the meeting in the wake of Indian armed forces' coordinated missile, air and drone strikes, targeting different areas in Punjab and Azad Jammu and Kashmir, including Sialkot, Shakargarh, Muridke, Bahawalpur, Kotli, and Muzaffarabad.

The meeting was attended by Chief of Army Staff General Syed Asim Munir, Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu, Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Naveed Ashraf, key federal ministers and others. The official statement stated that the NSC deliberated upon the grave developments arising out of India's unprovoked, cowardly and unlawful act of war on the night of May 6 and 7.

The statement said that the armed forces of Pakistan, in line with the exercise of the right of self-defense and response framework outlined in NSC statement dated 22 April 2025, resolutely defended the territorial integrity of Pakistan, including Azad Jammu and Kashmir, against the Indian aggression, while also bringing down five Indian fighter aircraft and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in the process.

The forum said that the unprovoked and unjustified attacks deliberately targeted the civilian areas, on the false pretext of presence of imaginary terrorist camps, resulting in the martyrdom of innocent men, women, and children, and causing damage to the civilian infrastructure, including mosques.

"India's act of aggression also caused grave danger to commercial airlines belonging to brotherly gulf countries," the statement read, adding "endangering the lives of thousands of on-board passengers". "Besides," it revealed, "the Neelum-Jhelum Hydropower Project was also deliberately targeted in violation of international conventions."

The NSC unequivocally condemned the illegal acts as blatant violations of Pakistan's sovereignty and territorial integrity, saying these acts "manifestly constituted acts of war under international law." The deliberate targeting of civilians, including innocent women and children, by the Indian military constitutes a heinous and shameful crime, that is in violation of all norms of human behaviour and the provisions of international law.

Deeply anguished by India's naked aggression, the NSC noted, the entire Pakistani nation greatly appreciates and admires the bravery and courage of the Armed Forces and their timely action in the defense of their motherland. "The nation stands galvanised and resolute in the face of any further aggression," it vowed.

Meanwhile, the NSC called upon the international community to recognise the gravity of India's unprovoked illegal actions and to hold it accountable for its blatant violations of international norms and laws. "Pakistan remains committed to peace, with dignity and honour," NSC conveyed before adding that it "reiterates that it shall never allow any violation of its sovereignty, territorial integrity or permit any harm to its proud people."

During the meeting, it was noted that Pakistan has been emphatically rejecting Indian allegations claiming the presence of terrorist camps on its territory. It would also be recalled that immediately after 22 April 2025, it added, Pakistan made a sincere offer for a credible, transparent and neutral investigation, which unfortunately was not accepted.

The NSC said that the international media personnel had already visited the "imaginary terrorist camps" on May 6, 2025, and more visits were planned for May 7, 2025. However, apprehensive of its falsehood being exposed, and without a shred of evidence about its claims, the Indian leadership, bereft of any morality, has now gone to the extent of attacking innocent civilians in order to satiate its delusional thoughts and short-sighted political objectives.

"Attacking its innocent people is neither tolerable nor acceptable to Pakistan," NSC said. India, against all sanity and rationality has once again ignited an inferno in the region, it said, saying the responsibility for ensuing consequences shall lie squarely with India.

During the meeting, the forum offered Fateha for the souls of the innocent civilians martyred in India's strikes, extended its heartfelt condolences to the near ones of the martyrs and wished a speedy recovery to the injured.