When Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif addressed the nation last evening, he did not mince words. The speech was not business as usual. It was a wartime address. One, delivered with clarity, purpose, and the kind of urgency that history demands when a country finds itself staring down the barrel of escalation. He called upon all political forces to come together not as allies of his government, but as defenders of the republic. “We may have our differences,” he said, “but no difference is greater than Pakistan.” That call must not go unanswered. What preceded it was grave. Hours earlier, Indian fighter jets had violated Pakistan’s sovereignty under the banner of “Operation Sindoor.” Quite interestinly, by nightfall, Indian losses were mounting, and global powers were scrambling to dial down tensions between two nuclear states. But this editorial is not about India. It’s about us. Pakistan has seen too many moments when political egos undermined national interest. Just days before this attack, the opposition refused to attend a top-level national security briefing. The timing and the symbolism sent the wrong message to the world, and a worse one to our enemies. What PM Sharif demanded was not loyalty to the government but loyalty to the idea of Pakistan. And on this, there can be no opposition. To their credit, parties across the aisle are beginning to understand what’s at stake. Parliament thundered with rare consensus. Leaders once at odds are now voicing unconditional support for our military and condemning Indian belligerence. That is how it should be. Let it be known that we can argue over policies tomorrow, but today, we speak with one voice. India’s war hysteria and reckless adventurism cannot go unchecked, but neither can we let internal discord become our Achilles’ heel. That Pakistan needs unprecedented unity to navigate this storm intact is an open secret. In this moment of peril, those who choose silence or sabotage will be remembered not for their principles but for their betrayal. *