Today, we witness a defining moment in the history of South Asia – a major geopolitical turning point redefining the blurred equation of power and respect. The days to come will unfold the secrets behind grand miscalculations and nefarious objectives of New Delhi; however, what is established beyond any doubt is that in the skies of South Asia, there is no sovereignty without the will of Islamabad.

While, beyond any doubt, and as per our belief, The Almighty has blessed us with a moment to bow our heads in humility for His overwhelming support to the motherland during these challenging times. No notion of pride or arrogance must find a place in anyone’s heart or mind - this moment is a resounding blessing from Allah Almighty and a rewarding response to the prayers of 1.9 billion Muslims living on this globe.

With our belief kindled in our hearts, there is a need for materialistic retrospection of the debacle to move ahead of this moment with valid lessons for tomorrow. The log of events and the lengthy list of achievements for Pakistan on the geopolitical, diplomatic, and military fronts is long – to be repeatedly discussed at various forums in the days and months to come. Yet, the world needs to understand that Operation Bunyan-um-Marsoos is a strong rebuttal to the Indian arrogance, which has been nurtured on deceitful lies, misleading narratives, and an arrogant attitude. As Pakistan’s response unfolded at each rung of India’s escalatory campaign, the idols of magnanimity and false claims fell apart, misleading narratives crashed to baseless accusations and claims, while arrogance was finally replaced by repentance and shame. The unbearable punch delivered by the Pak Armed Forces knocked down more than half a dozen Indian fighter aircraft out of their own skies, decimated the notional impregnable defence shield by hitting their prized possession S-400 and C2 centre, targeted airfields, and critical military infrastructure across the whole length of the dividing line from the Himalayas to the Arabian Sea – leaving lasting scars on the saffron-painted face of Hindutva-driven jingoists.

This briefest possible narrative of what happened during these few fateful days has been compiled to pay tribute to the architects of this nerve-wracking campaign who displayed respect for values, love for the motherland, and unmatched professional acumen – the role of our military leadership. The role of the Pakistan Air Force in this whole event remained pivotal and decisive. Without PAF’s achievements, the situation would have been entirely different – and most likely, undesirable. The fact simply remains that without the readiness of PAF to play this role, the outcome of the challenge we just emerged victorious from might have been unmanageable. Thus, the visionary leadership of Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmad Babar emerges as the linchpin in the orchestration of Pakistan’s response. The Air Chief, besides being an outstanding professional, is a leader with unmatched vision and rock-solid will to achieve against all odds. Soon after assuming command of PAF, he aptly read the intent and plans of the enemy, visualized threats to the motherland, and embarked upon an unending drive for indigenization and capability enhancement. Way back in 2021, he formulated the wish list of capabilities for PAF, which proved vital in the last 15 days. Despite financial challenges, he worked around within the available fiscal space to create Bunyan-um-Marsoos. He not only managed the resources to enhance PAF’s capabilities, but also revamped the service structure to speedily operationalize these cutting-edge technologies. Finally, when the time came, he led his team from the front and orchestrated Operation Zarb-e-Karrar (PAF’s designated name for its part in Bunyan-um-Marsoos) to manifest the mastered skills for outclassing the arrogant enemy at all fronts.

In this short war, which will be remembered for a long time in history, the display of strong will, national resolve, and tri-services harmony was witnessed at an unprecedented level, and to this end, credit goes to the Commander-in-Chief of the Pakistan Armed Forces, Gen Asim Munir. A true patriot and visionary leader, he has been an equal partner in the capability development, for tri-services and especially PAF, over the past years. In these testing times, through his unflinching belief and valour, he enabled the walk on the tightrope of tough decisions, uniting the national leadership, the nation, and the three services into Bunyan-um-Marsoos, to defeat the enemy. His leadership role throughout the narrated journey has always remained remarkable – though some might not fully or partially understand it, ever.

Let’s thank Allah Almighty for the countless blessings in the shape of this astounding victory and make a pledge to redefine our path for the future, as a proud nation pursuing peaceful coexistence with all our neighbours, but ready and armed to thwart any threat to our honour and sovereignty. It must be realized that the tough journey has not ended yet, neither have our enemies backed out for long; this moment is a strategic pause, maybe long or short. Our strife to fold more surprises for our enemy must not be derailed.

Pakistan Zindabad, Pak Armed Forces Paaindabad.

Kifayatullah

–The writer is a freelance contributor