• Tarar says strong retaliation inevitable
• PTI lawmakers raise alarm over verdict on civilians’ trial by military courts

ISLAMABAD: As lawmakers condemned Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for threatening regional peace, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar assured the National Assembly on Thursday that India will receive a crushing response to its aggression.

“Retaliation is inevitable,” he said while making a policy statement in the National Assembly.

He said the time and place for a powerful response will be decided by the armed forces. He emphasised that the country’s security was in safe hands.

He said that the Indian attacks, carried out in the night failed to achieve their goals. “They thought their Rafale jets, the pride of their air force, would give them an edge,” he said, “but they were humiliated instead”.

He said that India has since shifted tactics, switching from fighter jets to drone attacks in an attempt to cover up their failure.

“This wasn’t just about destroying enemy jets; it was about shattering Indian arrogance,” Tarar said.

He said that after shooting down Indian fighter jets Pakistan has also shot down 25 Israeli-made drones used by India to attack Pakistan using air defence system.

He said that Pakistan has inflicted heavy losses on the Indian forces along the Line of Control. Their 40 to 50 soldiers have also been killed and India was still retrieving the bodies of its killed soldiers. He said India’s attempt to harm Pakistan has backfired, and it was now facing humiliation.

The information minister said the entire nation stands with the armed forces to respond to the Indian aggression.

Lawmakers in their speeches regretted that Indian aggression resulted in the loss of civilian lives in Pakistan. They warned that Modi’s policies were endangering peace in the region and beyond and that a war between two nuclear-armed countries could be devastating.

They said that India has always tried to harm Pakistan and fuel terrorism in the country. They also condemned India for perpetrating atrocities in held Kashmir.

Malik Amir Dogar of PTI in his speech declared that each and every worker of his party will stand by the armed forces to counter enemy’s aggression. He said each drop of martyrs’ blood would be avenged. He also raised the issue of constitutional court validating civilians’ trial by military courts.

He said Pakistan is the only country in the world where military courts can try civilians and pointed out that even Uganda had annulled such a law back in 1997.

He praised the two judges from a smaller province who had written notes of dissent against the judgment. He expressed the hope that PPP would also oppose trial of civilians in military courts to avert burial of ideology of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.

Iqbal Afridi of the same party also rejected the verdict and sought to know if it would bring peace in the country.

“We do not accept the SC decision and would protest against it,” he said. He also called for bringing to an end the operation in tribal areas. He said the country needs national unity and noted that it was a test for the government and the Army Chief to create an environment for it.

The NA also adopted a motion to suspend its regular agenda for today (Friday) to allow continued discussion on the escalating Pakistan-India border situation.

PPP lawmaker Ijaz Jakhrani moved the motion, seeking permission to set aside the routine proceedings of the upcoming session in light of the prevailing national security concerns.

Published in Dawn, May 9th, 2025