ISLAMABAD - Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) yesterday rallied behind the armed forces and urged for dialogue after victory against the Indian aggression.
Speaking at a joint news conference alongside PPP Secretary General Syed Nayyar Hussain Bokhari and Central Information Secretary Nadeem Afzal Chan to mark Youm-e-Tashakkur (Day of Gratitude) in the wake of Pakistan’s decisive victory in Operation Bunyan Al-Marsous, PPP Vice President Senator Sherry Rehman said: “Firstly, we want to congratulate the entire nation. We bow our heads in gratitude for the resilience, unity, and courage shown by our people and armed forces,” said Senator Rehman, hailing the victory as one that “rejected the evil norm India was trying to establish of equating an un-investigated act of terror with an act of war.” She applauded President Asif Ali Zardari, Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for their coordinated leadership, adding that “PPP never glorifies war, but when war is forced upon Pakistan, we respond with resolve and restraint, not rhetoric.” She said the PPP had always stood for peace. “No one wants conflict. But when an act of war is launched under false pretexts, it cannot go unanswered,” she added.
She underscored that the retaliatory action by Pakistan came after three days of restraint, a timeline reiterated by Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. “Let’s be clear — this war was imposed on us, and we won it within hours. There are no two opinions about this.” Senator Rehman extended her appreciation to the Chief of Army Staff, General Asim Munir, for his “exceptional leadership in the darkest hours of night, when our Ghazis and martyrs stood alert and unflinching.” She also appreciated the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) for their gallant achievements and Navy for protecting our ports. Senator Rehman stressed that Kashmir remains the unresolved core of regional instability. “India’s illegal occupation, demographic engineering, and refusal to engage with Kashmiri voices is the root cause of this crisis — and future ones. Without resolving Kashmir, peace will remain elusive.”
The PPP leader reminded the press that by international humanitarian law standards, India’s pre-emptive strikes and continued aggression constitute war crimes. “The Geneva Conventions do not allow what India attempted. From targeting civilians to violating water treaties — the list is long.” She cautioned against India’s growing pattern of diplomatic belligerence, expelling Pakistani diplomats, cutting off bilateral trade, and weaponizing water under the Indus Waters Treaty. “This is not just a military posture, it’s a full-spectrum campaign to isolate Pakistan and coerce regional outcomes, especially on Kashmir.” The Senator warned against the weaponisation of water, saying, “We will not allow any violation of the Indus Waters Treaty. Kashmir and IWT are red lines. India is behaving like a rogue state, but Pakistan is not alone in calling this out.”
She acknowledged the crucial role of international diplomacy: “The US, Saudi Arabia, and Türkiye played constructive roles in brokering the ceasefire. But make no mistake, it was Pakistan’s calibrated, fact-based response that created room for diplomacy.”
She noted that Indian claims about destroying Karachi or gaining ground were “nothing short of a bad Bollywood script,” with New Delhi failing to respond to even basic questions about their own missing aircraft. “Their silence spoke volumes. Our conventional deterrence has been demonstrated — Pakistan did not flinch,” she added.
The lawmaker also lauded Pakistan’s media for “practicing restraint and ethics amidst a media war.” In contrast, she said, “Indian media devolved into propaganda machines while censorship took hold back home. Their people were betrayed by fiction, not facts.”
She condemned the use of the Pahalgam incident as a pretext for war. “The world must note: that attack was never independently investigated. India rejected neutral probes just as it did in the Samjhauta Express case. What is India hiding?”
Senator Rehman asked: “We condemned and sympathised with the Pahalgam victims. But who mourned our martyrs in the Jaffer Express attack? Why does one tragedy get global headlines and the other, silence?”
Senator Rehman concluded with a powerful reminder: “This is not just about winning a war. This is about refusing to normalize war mongering as foreign policy. It’s about rejecting the dangerous idea that one country can decide unilaterally what constitutes terror and launch wars in its name. Pakistan stood firm. And the world took notice.”
