‘Ceasefire For Everyone’s Benefit’: Pak PM Shehbaz Claims ‘Victory’ In ‘War’ With India, Thanks ‘Trustworthy’ China

<p>Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, in a nationally televised address, lashed out at India over what he described as a &ldquo;cowardly and shameful act of open aggression&rdquo;, claiming that India used the Pahalgam incident as an &ldquo;excuse&rdquo; to launch an &ldquo;unjustified war&rdquo; on Pakistan. He welcomed the ceasefire agreement, saying, &ldquo;For the benefit of everybody, we have made this agreement of ceasefire, and we have been very positive about it.&rdquo;</p>
<p>The speech came just hours after India and Pakistan announced a mutual agreement to end ongoing military action, multiple violations were reported from across Jammu and Kashmir, triggering strong retaliatory action by the Indian armed forces. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri stated that Pakistan was responsible for breaching the ceasefire understanding and demanded swift steps.</p>
<p>During the address, PM Sharif said, &ldquo;If someone challenges our independence, we will do anything for our defence.&rdquo; He added, &ldquo;Our self-respect is dearer to us than our lives.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Sharif alleged that recent attacks under <a title=”Operation Sindoor” href=”https://news.abplive.com/topic/operation-sindoor” data-type=”interlinkingkeywords”>Operation Sindoor</a> carried out by India targeted innocent civilians, mosques, and urban areas using drones and missiles. &ldquo;In the past few days, the enemy carried out a cowardly act. India made Pahalgam an excuse to wage war on us, targeting innocent lives, mosques, and civilians with missiles,&rdquo; he stated in Urdu, adding that Pakistan had decided to respond in a language the &ldquo;enemy understands&rdquo;.</p>
<p>&ldquo;We made clear that the meetings that were to be held on the table would now be on the field of battle,&rdquo; Shehbaz remarked, asserting that Pakistan&rsquo;s armed forces had delivered a &ldquo;professional and effective response&rdquo; to India&rsquo;s actions.</p>
<p>He thanked Pakistan&rsquo;s military leadership, praising Chief of Army Staff General Asim Munir for his &ldquo;exemplary leadership&rdquo; and Chief of Air Staff Zaheer Ahmed Babar Sidhu and the Pakistan Air Force for their &ldquo;outstanding performance&rdquo;. He also acknowledged the support of political leaders, including PML-N President Nawaz Sharif and President Asif Ali Zardari, for their contributions during the escalation.</p>
<p>Sharif lauded the national unity displayed in the face of aggression, expressing appreciation for media professionals and social media users who, he said, helped counter &ldquo;Indian disinformation campaigns&rdquo;. &ldquo;This is a victory of our principles and respect,&rdquo; the Pakistan PM stated. &ldquo;We responded to hatred, aggression, and religious fanaticism in a manner befitting an honourable nation.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Reflecting on the military exchanges, Sharif claimed that Indian airbases had turned into rubble due to Pakistan&rsquo;s retaliation. &ldquo;Within hours, our armed forces silenced the enemy&rsquo;s guns in a manner that history will remember,&rdquo; he claimed, contradicting the Indian side’s complete denial of destruction to any airbases.</p>
<h3><strong>Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif Thanks ‘Trustworthy’ China Besides Other Allies</strong></h3>
<p>Sharif went on to express gratitude to international allies, notably thanking China as a &ldquo;very dear, very trustworthy and very dear friend&rdquo;. &ldquo;From the bottom of my heart, I want to say a big thanks to them,&rdquo; he said, extending his appreciation to the people of China for their continued support.</p>
<p>He also acknowledged the roles played by the United States, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, Qatar, and the United Kingdom in brokering a ceasefire agreement. &ldquo;I want to extend my gratitude to President Trump,&rdquo; said Sharif, crediting Washington with a &ldquo;pivotal role&rdquo; in achieving the truce.</p>
<p>In his closing remarks, PM Sharif reiterated Pakistan&rsquo;s commitment to peace. &ldquo;We are a peaceful nation,&rdquo; he said. He concluded with a hopeful message that longstanding issues such as water sharing and Kashmir would be resolved through diplomatic channels. &ldquo;Long live Pakistan,&rdquo; he declared, ending his speech.</p>