Having humiliated India in the kinetic domain, scoring an unambiguous military victory in the four-day duel earlier this month, Pakistan is now on a diplomatic offensive – meant to revitalise the existing bonds of cohesion with its staunch allies in the region amid the baseless Indian propaganda, spiked with the outdated allegations of terrorism against its longtime rival.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's four-nation tour – on which he was also accompanied by Field Marshal Asim Munir, apart from other officials – came in the pursuit of the same objective of elevating strategic partnership with the historically allied nations and countering the Indian propaganda campaign, being taken around the world by a multi-party delegation led by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor.
From Turkiye to Iran and then to the Central Asian States of Azerbaijan and Tajikistan, the Pakistan delegation was received with stepped-up stately warmth and enthusiasm. All four nations stood by Pakistan, as it responded to India's so-called Operation Sindoor – carried out on the false pretext of Islamabad's involvement in the Pahalgam attack of April 22 in which 26 civilians lost their lives to terrorists – with its Operation Banyan Marsoos, forcing New Delhi to de-escalate and eventually to cease fire.
While Iran ensured peace on its border with Pakistan during the Indian offensive, Turkiye and Azerbaijan were unequivocal in their support for Pakistan. Tajikistan too voiced strong diplomatic support during the recent tensions with India.
A trilateral huddle in the Azeri city of Lachin, held on Wednesday, embodied a powerful display of unity between Pakistan, Turkiye and Azerbaijan, and made a firm call to 'reject conflict' and prioritise peace. The three sides reaffirmed mutual support on longstanding regional disputes including Kashmir, Karabakh and northern Cyprus.
Apart from the PM-led delegation, a multi-party delegation, led by Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, is all set to embark on a diplomatic mission to the US and Europe – meant to expose India's fabricated narrative build with terrorism-related allegations.
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