ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif Sunday paid tribute to the leadership of the armed forces led by Chief of Army Staff, Field Marshal Syed Asif Munir for showing exemplary courage and valour during Marka-e-Haq and Operation Bunyan un Marsoos and defeating the nefarious designs of the enemy in May 2025.

Speaking at a ceremony held at Pakistan Monument here to mark the first year of Marka-e-Haq Bunyan un Marsoos, he said India while using the unfortunate incident of Pahalgam as an excuse, attacked Pakistan but Pakistan still did not let the situation spiral out of control.

He said he warned the enemy of the consequences for any kind of confrontation and also offered a transparent investigation into the Pahalgam incident.

“But the cowardly enemy, as always, launched an unannounced war on Pakistan in the darkness of the night by targeting our mosques, children and citizens,” he said adding, “Pakistan’s armed forces gave a historic response to the attack launched by the enemy.”

“Our brave soldiers entered the battlefield and our falcons swooped down on the cowardly enemy who was in a state of panic. Our missiles destroyed India’s air defence system and our falcons in the air force were dominant and there was debris of enemy equipment everywhere and in just four hours the enemy called for a ceasefire,” he continued.

He said despite the passage of a year, India had not been able to present any evidence about the incident.

“Operation Bunyan-un-Marsoos is a historic military success and a glorious victory and a demonstration of our national pride, courage and restraint,” he remarked.

The prime minister announced that May 10 will be named as the Marka-e-Haq Day, which will be celebrated every year without a holiday and with great enthusiasm and passion.

“I salute every young officer and man of Pakistan who are the heirs of the blood of martyrs and great traditions. I salute the entire nation, who became a wonderful example of faith, unity, discipline.”

He paid tribute to Chief of Army Staff, Field Marshal Syed Asif Munir, who wrote new chapters of bravery and valour in this battle.

“Field Marshal Syed Asif Munir’s wise and courageous leadership will always be remembered in golden letters. Field Marshal Syed Asif Munir, I and the entire nation salute you. This story of bravery will remain incomplete if I do not mention here in glorious words Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Babar and his falcons who destroyed enemy planes and exposed the claims of the enemy.”

“Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Babar, I also pay tribute to you and congratulate your falcons. I congratulate Admiral Naveed Ashraf and the men and women of the Navy on the glorious victory of Marka-e-Haq, which struck such terror in the enemy that it did not dare to enter the maritime borders of Pakistan.”

He thanked brotherly and friendly countries of Pakistan from the bottom of his heart for their support, especially US President Donald Trump, who played a historic role in bringing peace to the region and saving the lives of millions of people.

“If the flames of war between the two nuclear powers had ignited further, it is not difficult to guess that the outcome would have been terrible. But President Trump played a decisive role in ending the war without wasting a moment. History will always remember his role,” he mentioned.

He expressed gratitude to Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other friendly countries, which fully supported Pakistan.

He thanked the Chinese leadership and people of China, calling it a great and reliable friend of Pakistan, which, like on every occasion in the past, provided full political and moral support to Pakistan during the time of crisis.

“The friendship between Pakistan and China is deeper than the ocean, higher than Himalayas and sweeter than honey,” he said adding Pakistan was also making its diplomatic efforts with utmost sincerity in establishing peace in the region.

“In this regard, Pakistan not only convinced the parties – Iran and United States to a temporary ceasefire, but also played a key role in bringing them to the negotiating table for the first time since 1979. These dedicated efforts of ours for the sake of lasting peace in the region and the world are still ongoing.”

He commended the efforts of Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and congratulated Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir for dedicating day and night to this work.

He said Pakistan always raised a powerful voice for the rights of the oppressed people of Gaza, Palestine and Occupied Jammu and Kashmir who were facing serious human rights violations.

“Pakistan has provided full diplomatic, political and moral support to its brothers and sisters at every international forum and will continue to do so until the people of Palestine and Occupied Jammu and Kashmir breathe in free air with peace,” he stressed.

He recalled that Pakistan made unparalleled sacrifices in the war against terrorism. “In the ongoing operation against Fitna al-Khawarij and Fitna-tul-Hindustan, the brave officers and men of our armed forces and law enforcement agencies are sacrificing their precious lives for the defence of the homeland,” he added.

He assured that the government would make available all resources for educating and training the youth so that they could play their role in the development of the country.