The recent four-day military flare-up between Pakistan and India may have ended short of full-scale war, but the contest over the narrative has only grown fiercer. From Islamabad’s vantage, India’s loud proclamations of heroism and pre-emptive strikes ring hollow–little more than theatrics meant to conceal New Delhi’s own aggression and miscalculations.
To set the records straight, India’s claim that Washington tipped off Prime Minister Modi about a looming Pakistani assault on May 9 is pure drama. The facts tell a different story. Pakistan’s military has made it unequivocally clear: it was India that pleaded for a ceasefire on the night of May 6 before Pakistan’s counter-response had even fully unfolded. So much for India’s fable of standing tall and forcing Pakistan to retreat.
Equally hollow is India’s boast of “precision strikes” supposedly crippling Pakistan’s military infrastructure. The reality on the ground was far grimmer and far less surgical. India’s missiles didn’t level military installations; instead, they tore through civilian neighbourhoods, destroying homes and mosques, leaving 31 innocent Pakistanis dead and dozens wounded. The “surgical” element in Operation Sindoor exists only in Indian press briefings, not in the smoke and rubble witnessed in Pakistan.
Pakistan’s reply, Operation Bunyan-un-Marsoos, was everything India’s strikes were not–precise, deliberate, and measured. Our forces struck military targets, steering clear of civilians. It was a calculated demonstration that while Pakistan seeks peace, it will never tolerate aggression. The nuclear deterrent may have been tested as never before, but Pakistan kept its composure and its credibility intact.
Yet India’s offensive wasn’t confined to missiles. It wielded trade bans, sealed borders, threatened to rip up the Indus Waters Treaty, and blocked Pakistani cargo ships. These economic tactics are no less hostile than armed aggression. India wants the world to believe Pakistan stands cornered and desperate. The truth is otherwise: Pakistan remains resolute, refusing to bow to either bombs or economic coercion.
Pakistan has paid an enormous price in blood and treasure combating terrorism. We reject India’s constant attempts to brand us as the villain. We seek peace, but we will never lie down when attacked. Our response has been proportionate, strategic, and restrained because Pakistan knows true strength lies not in noisy proclamations but in measured resolve.
India can keep parading its triumphs. But facts (and history) tell a different story. Pakistan didn’t start this fight. But if provoked, we will finish it–steadfast, confident, and always with an eye on securing regional peace. *