Marking the first anniversary of Marka-e-Haq, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry on Thursday said Pakistan is preparing for a “future war,” adding no one is underestimating Delhi.
Addressing a tri-services press conference with Rear Admiral Shifaat Ali Khan and Air Vice Marshal Tariq Ghazi, he noted Pakistan had defeated an enemy “five times” its size last year. He said he didn’t want to rehash the events of May 2025, adding the purpose of the press conference was highlighting “10 strategic consequences” of the conflict.
According to the military spokesman, the first strategic consequence was the burial of the Indian narrative of painting Pakistan as a source of terrorism. “International community, as a consequence of Marka-e-Haq, came to know and now fully understand that Pakistan, as alleged by Indians over a period of time, is not a perpetrator but a victim of Indian-sponsored terrorism,” he said, noting Delhi had yet to provide any evidence of its Pahalgam allegations even a year after the incident.
“Where is the evidence? The whole world, including sensible Indians, is asking who is behind the attack. Nobody buys this … You are the biggest terrorist. Nobody listens to them, nobody believes them,” he claimed.
The second consequence, per the DG ISPR, was Marka-e-Haq consolidating Pakistan as the net security stabilizer in the region. He said the 2025 conflict had shown who was controlling and dominating the escalation, adding India’s escalatory actions relied on a “lie and fabricated drama.” Pakistan and its armed forces, he said, responded maturely, with an eye to stability.
On the third strategic consequence, Lt. Gen. Chaudhry said it was the “politicization of the Indian military leadership and militarization of Indian political leadership.” He alleged Delhi had made jokers out of its admirals, generals and marshals through its fabrications. “Don’t do that,” he advised, noting Pakistan had only presented “facts as they are.”
Similarly, he criticized Indian politicians for their “warmongering” and statements based on hatred. This development, he noted, was dangerous for regional peace and stability.
The fourth strategic consequence was the global acknowledgement of Indian efforts to externalize its internal problems and internalize its external problems while using terrorism as a “state tool.” The military spokesman said India’s internal problems included the repression of minorities and Kashmiris, blaming it on “a false sense of entitlement and this hubristic attitude.” He urged India to address its issues politically and internally rather than seeking to blame them on Pakistan.
Lt. Gen. Chaudhry emphasized that Kashmir is not India’s internal problem, but rather an internationally recognized dispute. “They [Indians] were even behind terrorism in their own country and would then accuse others,” he alleged.
The fifth strategic consequence identified by the spokesman was Marka-e-Haq’s exposing the “true face of the Indian media and its discredited information operations.” Criticizing Indian authorities for banning Pakistani media and social media during and after the conflict, he said this would not solve the central problem of disinformation and India must speak the truth.
“That’s what Pakistan did … The only thing that can survive in today’s information domain is truth. Tell people the truth. But somehow the Indians think they can work their way around lies. It doesn’t work anymore,” he maintained.
The military spokesman identified the sixth consequence as the “transformed character of warfare,” covering multi-domain operations, non-contact warfare, synergy, proxies and information. He emphasized that warfare was no longer limited to border skirmishes and is fought on land, in the sea, in the air, in cyberspace, and through cognition behavior. “Pakistan’s armed forces were prepared to fight against India during Marka-e-Haq in all those domains. We were prepared back then, and we are prepared today as well,” he added.
The seventh consequence was cited as Pakistan’s proven potential and the resilience to combat multifaceted challenges. “In simple words, it is the belief in ourselves,” he said.
Of the eighth consequence, the DG ISPR said it was the loud and clear establishment of deterrence and reaffirmation that there is no place for war between two geographically contiguous nuclear states. “Anyone who thinks there is space for war between two nuclear neighbors is crazy. That is madness. Only a madman can think about it. You want to do it, then there should be no doubt about our resolve,” he warned.
The ninth strategic consequence was the recognition of Pakistan as a “geopolitically significant and responsible middle power” at the global stage. “The politico-military leadership, politico-military diplomacy and respect are the strategic consequences of Marka-e-Haq,” he maintained. The final, “but most important” consequence was the unshakeable synergy between the people, the government and the armed forces, “which we call the Bunyan-um-Marsoos effect.”
Media queries
The briefing was followed by a question-and-answer session during which the ISPR spokesman said India had erroneously believed higher defense spending and technological superiority guarantees victory. Questioning this “sense of self-entitlement,” he said Delhi has no right to determine the future of people in the region. “Their assessment of Pakistan is absolutely wrong,” he said, adding India made a huge strategic miscalculation.
To another question, he rejected claims of any divide between the armed forces and the Pakistani public. “There is nobody who has the power to come between the people and the armed forces. We are together,” he said. “Pakistan Army is not an Army for the elites, it is an Army for the poor,” he said, asserting Pakistan is readying for any future war.
When asked about ties between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, Lt. Gen. Chaudhry said the two states share deep and multidimensional relations, and Islamabad is committed to the kingdom’s security. Citing the strategic defense pact, he said any threat to Saudi Arabia is also a threat to Pakistan.
On a question about Pakistan’s political unrest, the spokesman said dialogue is the responsibility of political parties and they must engage each other to resolve issues. He maintained the military is not a stakeholder in Pakistan’s political affairs, reiterating it does not represent any particular sect, creed, language or political ideology. “We come from the people of Pakistan and the people of Pakistan come from us,” he said.
Highlighting Islamabad’s role in facilitating U.S.-Iran talks aimed at ending the Middle East war, Lt. Gen. Chaudhry said Pakistan is a “rational state.” By contrast, he said, Afghanistan does not act as a rational player or function like a state. He questioned how any rational actor could deem terrorism its main source of income or deny its communities the right to equal development and expression. He stressed that Operation Ghazab-lil-Haq in Afghanistan is ongoing, clarifying that it only targets Afghan Taliban forces and not the country or its people. He noted that since the operation began, there had been a visible decline in terrorist incidents across Pakistan.
Ready for battle
Rear Admiral Ali, meanwhile, described Marka-e-Haq as a “historic and memorable” conflict. Questioning why the Indian Navy had not even attempted to confront Pakistan directly during the conflict, he said the Pakistan Navy’s strategy had ensured ports, installations and sea routes remained fully operational.
He asserted that the Pakistan Navy and PAF had been prepared to target India’s aircraft carrier Vikrant if the conflict had persisted.
Deputy Chief of Air Staff Projects Air Vice Marshal Tariq Ghazi, at his turn on the podium, reiterated that Pakistan had shot down eight Indian aircraft during Operation Bunyan-um-Marsoos—four Rafale jets, one Su-30, one MiG-29, one Mirage 2000 and one “expensive” multi-role unmanned aerial system.
“We adopted a strong air defense posture to thwart any hostile adventure through combat air patrols, scrambles, and eyes on the sky all the time,” he said, adding the PAF, for the first time in warfare, integrated and operationalized its multi-domain assets. He also said the PAF was monitoring “each and every move” of the IAF, including its deployment and concealment of key assets.
Marka-e-Haq refers to last year’s military conflict with India, which broke out after Delhi launched an unprovoked attack on Pakistan on May 6-7 after blaming it—without any evidence—of involvement in an attack on tourists in India-held Kashmir. The war between the two nuclear-armed nations ended on May 10 with a ceasefire agreement brokered by the U.S.