President Asif Ali Zardari on Monday warned that Pakistan is ready for any form of aggression, as he urged India to adopt a path of meaningful negotiations or risk facing another humiliating defeat.
In his annual address to a joint session of Parliament, Zardari emphasized that war is a last resort, adding Pakistan had shown both India and Afghanistan only a fraction of its capabilities. “Make no mistake. We are ready for you,” he said. “My message to them is to move away from war theaters to meaningful negotiating tables because that is the only path for regional security … India must listen to us attentively: Pakistan will continue to give its fullest diplomatic and moral support to the just cause of the people of Jammu and Kashmir,” he said. Nobody in South Asia would be free and safe until Kashmiris win their freedom from Indian occupation, he added.
The president also condemned the war waged on Iran and reaffirmed Pakistan’s support for its sovereignty and territorial integrity. He further offered condolences for the martyrdom of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei.
Similarly, he condemned the attacks launched on Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, and Qatar, calling for negotiated solutions to choose peace and restraint and save the region from a deepening crisis. “The sooner stability returns to the region, the sooner the world can go back to the business of rebuilding lives and fractured trust. I urge the need to exercise maximum restraint, to uphold international law, and to respect the territorial integrity of all brotherly nations,” he said.
Referring to last year’s Marka-e-Haq, when Pakistan faced off India, Zardari said Islamabad initially showed restraint amid Delhi’s violation of its sovereignty. However, he said, armed forces acted with outstanding professionalism and discipline, turning India’s attack into a landmark strategic victory. The armed forces had likewise responded decisively to attacks by the Afghan Taliban regime on the night of Feb. 26, he said.
“The political leadership stood united. The people stood resolute,” he said, expressing gratitude to the security forces, including Army, Air Force, Navy, Rangers, Frontier Corps, police services and intelligence agencies for both successful military encounters.
The president said he had felt the same pain when visiting families of martyred soldiers, as he had at the time of the martyrdom of his wife, Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto. “This was not just a military victory; it was an expression of our national resolve in crisis … We bravely repulsed India’s aggression and emerged victorious, both militarily and diplomatically. Our decisive and principled response was acknowledged by world capitals, beyond a shadow of any doubt,” he said, while recommending India avoid another war.
“At the same time, I would also say that any aggressor should prepare for another humiliating defeat,” he said, stressing that while Pakistan was a responsible nuclear state, it was also a state that defended itself decisively when required.
Operation Ghazab-lil-Haq
On the ongoing Operation Ghazab-lil-Haq against terrorists sheltering in Afghanistan, the president said Pakistan had tried every possible form of diplomacy to prevent an outbreak of military responses to terrorist incursions from across the Durand Line. “For us, war is always the last option. No state accepts serial attacks on its soil … We have let both India and Afghanistan see a fraction of our capabilities,” he said. “Let me be clear: the soil of Pakistan is sacred. We will not allow any entity—domestic or foreign—to use neighboring territory to destabilize our peace,” he said.
Zardari noted that the Afghan Taliban regime had continued to provide safe havens to several terrorist groups, in violation of their own promises in Doha, despite multiple diplomatic engagements by Pakistan and friendly countries. “They must choose to dismantle the terror groups that survive on conflict and its war economy. None of this will feed Afghanistan’s children or create opportunities for national cohesion … I would urge them to stop being used by another country as a battlefield for their ambitions,” he said, recalling that Pakistan had treated Afghan people as kith and kin and never walked away from dialogue.
Foreign policy
On Islamabad’s foreign policy, the president appreciated the efforts of countries who had de-escalated the recent Pakistan-India conflict. He said the past year had seen Pakistan and the U.S. open new avenues for strategic cooperation, investment and economic partnerships, with the coming year expected to be more productive.
He said Pakistan’s ironclad relationship with China had reached new heights, maintaining the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) 2.0 would revolutionize Pakistan’s infrastructure. He said the entire nation was thankful to China for its solidarity with Pakistan during Marka-e-Haq and President Xi Jinping for advancing the shared objectives of security and connectivity.
In addition to appreciating deepened ties with Gulf countries, Azerbaijan and Turkiye, the president said that the Pakistan-Saudi Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement was a new milestone in the region.
Highlighting the sufferings of the Palestinian people and the destruction of Gaza, he reiterated Pakistan’s unchanged principled stance of supporting the creation of an independent and undivided state of Palestine with borders as before 1967 and with Al-Quds Al Sharif as its capital.
He also congratulated the people of Bangladesh on holding elections and forming a new government, saying bilateral relations were poised to become steadier and stronger.
He described India’s attempts to manipulate river flows and its unilateral decision to place the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance as blatant hydro-terrorism, weaponizing vital water resources to exert political leverage. This, he said, had jeopardized Pakistan’s agricultural economy and violated international and humanitarian law.
He said the unilateral blockage was impermissible under international law and vowed that Pakistan would defend its water rights with unwavering unity, resolve, strength, and legal clarity to safeguard regional stability.
President Zardari said provincial autonomy had strengthened participatory governance as a strong federation required coordination, not centralization, and constitutional forums like the Council of Common Interests must function effectively. He also called for resolving issues related to natural resources, fiscal distribution, energy coordination and water management through consultation, adding he looked forward to a just and equitable National Finance Commission Award in the coming year.
Emphasizing special attention for Balochistan, he said that efforts to dismantle insurgencies fueled by foreign proxies should not ignore the need to address genuine social and economic grievances of the Baloch people. The people of Balochistan are and must remain full partners in Pakistan’s progress, he stressed.
Highlighting the country’s economic outlook, he praised the government for steering the economy out of a virtual collapse, citing improved indicators. “But this is a first step on a journey to sustained, people-centric growth. Our salaried classes, pensioners, laborers and small traders have endured a long night of hardship. The next phase must therefore focus on inclusive growth, jobs, and direct relief,” he said, calling for transparency in taxation and expenditure, widening of tax base and adoption of technology and innovation to reshape the economy.
Emphasizing the need to implement energy reforms as prerequisite to revive industries, he said climate-resilient agriculture, water management and coordinated policy were strategic imperatives.
President Zardari also stressed on the need to expand the Benazir Income Support Program (BISP) to empower the poor, besides dismantling barriers to women’s progress, ensuring their safety, digital access, and financial independence.
He said Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah had envisioned a democratic state rooted in constitutionalism and the rule of law while Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto gave this nation its unanimous Constitution and Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto strengthened the democratic process through sacrifice and exemplary leadership. As president, he said, he had unilaterally returned the Presidency’s powers to the Houses of Parliament as envisioned in the 1973 Constitution.
“Through the historic 18th Amendment, today the Presidency stands as the symbol of the unity of the federation—a bridge between the federating units and a guardian of the constitutional laws that bind us all,” he added.
The start of the new parliamentary year, he said, should refocus priorities toward protecting sovereignty, eliminating terrorism, building on economic stability. “Let us preserve the unity displayed in moments of trial. Let us institutionalize reform. Let us ensure that macroeconomic gains translate into household relief. Let us safeguard our borders while creating opportunities within,” he said.
Throughout the address, opposition lawmakers staged a protest, calling for the release of Imran Khan and deriding the president.