Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry reaffirmed on Sunday that the Pakistani nation and its armed forces have always stood together in the face of external threats and will continue to do so.
Addressing students from various universities of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, the military's top spokesperson pointed to recent tensions with India, emphasising the collective resolve displayed by the nation.
"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 Almighty, this iron wall was erected," he said, referring to the national unity witnessed during the latest standoff with India following the Pahalgam attack.
Lt Gen Chaudhry said all of India's assumptions, including those made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, were comprehensively disproven by Pakistan's timely and effective response.
He detailed Pakistan's retaliatory steps following the attacks on May 6 and 7, revealing that Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir had ordered a response targeting 26 Indian positions.
The ISPR chief disclosed that Pakistan had successfully destroyed the brigade headquarters of the Indian unit responsible for the shelling that martyred a seven-year-old child, Irtaza, in Muzaffarabad, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).
He further stated that the Indian airbases from which aircraft had launched strikes on May 6 and 7 were also among the targets neutralised during the operation.
Contrasting Pakistan's conduct with that of its adversary, the DG ISPR said that the military adhered to international laws and norms.
"Did your [Pakistan] army target any civilian infrastructure, any civilian population? No," he asked the students.
"We are peace-loving and prefer peace as our first choice," he added, warning India that any repeat of such aggression would be met with an even more "fierce response".
Regarding regional terrorism, Lt Gen Chaudhry said India was orchestrating and financing destabilising activities across South Asia, including Pakistan.
He said that the perpetrators of attacks on mosques and the slaughter of innocent civilians had no connection to Islam or the traditions of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa or Pashtun culture.
"These terrorists are followers of India," he said.
He also referred to a militant figure, Khargi Noorwali, criticising him for justifying collaboration with non-Muslims under the guise of religious legitimacy.
"He claims that Shariah permits seeking help from non-believers. But in Islam, truth and falsehood cannot exist together," said the ISPR chief.
"You seek help from India, a country where the dignity of Kashmiri girls is violated," he added.
Speaking on Afghanistan, Lt Gen Chaudhry stressed that Pakistan viewed its western neighbour as a "brotherly Islamic country," while criticising elements within the Afghan elite for enabling anti-Pakistan activities.
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