India Will Be Given a Direct Response If It Does Not Come to Its Senses, PM Shehbaz Sharif Warns

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has warned that Pakistan will respond directly if India does not change its course, declaring that every drop of Pakistan’s water is a “red line” for the country.

“We want peace, but our desire for peace should not be mistaken for weakness,” the prime minister said while addressing the inauguration ceremony of the Victory Monument in Islamabad.

Shehbaz Sharif said Pakistan had emerged as a symbol of stability in the region. He congratulated the nation on Independence Day and paid tribute to the entire nation, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir and the armed forces for what he described as Pakistan’s success in the Marka-e-Haq.

He said the Victory Monument represented the superiority of the Pakistan Armed Forces and that the nation was celebrating with immense pride following what he called a humiliating defeat inflicted on the enemy.

The prime minister praised the monument’s unique design, saying it had been completed in just eight months. He congratulated the field marshal and his team for the construction of the landmark.

Shehbaz Sharif said the government would provide the younger generation with opportunities for development and expressed the hope that the world would be protected from new conflicts.

He said Pakistan had played a mediating role between the United States and Iran and noted that Türkiye had also become part of the “Makkah Defence Agreement,” which he described as a symbol of peace in the Middle East.

The prime minister reiterated Pakistan’s support for the rights of the Palestinian people and said the country’s position on the Kashmir issue remained clear. He vowed that the sacrifices of the people of Palestine and Kashmir would not be allowed to go in vain.

Shehbaz Sharif also urged the Afghan government to prevent its territory from being used for terrorism.

He said no power could defeat Pakistan if the nation remained united and warned that no one should dare look toward Pakistan with hostile intentions. He stressed that all Pakistanis were stakeholders in the country and that political differences should not turn into enmity.

The prime minister thanked US President Donald Trump for helping broker a timely ceasefire between Pakistan and India, saying the truce had saved millions of lives.

He expressed hope that relations between Pakistan and the United States would become stronger in the future and extended special thanks to President Trump for his role in facilitating the Pakistan-India ceasefire.