PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Khan Gandapur on Thursday condemned Indian aggression against Pakistan and said the armed forces were ready to deliver a befitting response to the “enemy.”

“The nation stands by their armed forces to give a befitting reply to the enemy’s aggression. We will give the enemy a response that its coming generations will remember,” Mr Gandapur said in a statement issued by the Chief Minister’s Secretariat on Thursday.

The chief minister paid tribute to the security forces for thwarting the “evil intentions of the enemy by shooting down the drones fired by India” and said the Indian government had been trying to target the civilian population in Pakistan for the last two days, which was an extremely shameful, condemnable act.

He said that attacking civilian population was a serious violation of international laws.

More rallies staged to show solidarity with armed forces

Mr Gandapur warned that the Indian government should stop aggression against Pakistan otherwise it should be prepared for the consequences.

“This aggressive policy of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government is not only a threat to the peace of the region but it is also endangering the lives of the Indian citizens,” he said.

The chief minister said that Pakistan’s security forces were fully capable of giving a befitting reply to Indian aggression.

“The entire Pakistani nation is united to thwart the nefarious designs of the enemy,” he said.

Meanwhile, rallies were taken out in different parts of the province to support the Pakistani government and armed forces against Indian aggression.

During a gathering at the Chamber House in Peshawar, Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Fazal Moqeem Khan condemned Indian military strikes on civilians in Pakistan and praised the country’s armed forces for countering those strikes, especially the downing of jets.

“Today, Pakistan again faces Indian aggression, so our utmost duty, as a one nation, is to show unity, trust and steadfastness in our ranks,” he said.

A rally was led by SCCI president Fazal Moqeem Khan, senior vice president Abdul Jalil Jan, former presidents Haji Mohammad Afzal and Malik Niaz Ahmad, member of the chamber’s executive committee Aftab Iqbal, Gul Zaman, Shams Rahim, Ishfaq Ahmad, Nadeem Rauf and Rashid Iqbal Siddique, secretary general Muqtasid Ahsan, and others.

The chamber members and staff members participated in the rally in large numbers, holding placards and banners and shouting slogans in favour of Pakistan’s armed forces and against the Indian aggression. They also slammed Indian Prime Minister Modi and India’s armed forces.

Mr Moqeem said Pakistan was a peaceful country, which desired peace in the region but that desire should not be considered a weakness.

He said Indian attacks against Pakistan were a blatant mistake, so Indians would pay a heavy price for them.

“The Pakistani nation is united to protect the country’s ideological and geographical frontiers and foil evil designs of the enemy,” he said.

The SCCI chief said Pakistan’s armed forces bravely shot down Indian jets, which was a highly commendable act.

He said the business community stood shoulder to shoulder with armed forces and fully supported the bold, timely and brave decision of the National Security Council to allow armed forces to deliver a benefitting response to India over aggression.

Mr Moqeem said the decision was a proclamation of safeguarding the motherland.

He paid tribute to the personnel of the Pakistan Army, Air Force and Navy for putting their lives in danger to save the motherland from Indian aggression.

Also, the Tajir Ittehad, a group of traders, held a separate rally to express solidarity with security forces against India.

Meanwhile, the United Ulema Board Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a group of religious scholars, demanded that the Pakistan Army act against India over the recent military strikes on Pakistani citizens and mosques.

Along with other members, board chairman Maulana Ihsan ul Haq Haqqani told a news conference at Peshawar Press Club that the United Nations and human rights organisations should take notice of India’s actions and take immediate action to stop its aggression.

In Lower Dir district, irrigation minister Aqibullah Khan vowed to stand shoulder to shoulder with the government and security forces against Indian aggression, setting aside political differences and grievances.

He said this during a visit to the site of the Sanam Dam project in Asbanr along with special assistant to the chief minister on prisons Humayun Khan and Chairman of the District Development Advisory Committee and MPA Ubaid ur Rehman.

Also, rallies were taken out in Lakki Marwat and Bannu on Thursday to condemn Indian aggression against innocent civilians and express solidarity with Pakistani armed forces.

In Lakki Marwat, university teachers and students marched from the main campus to the Shaheed Abid Ali Chowk on the Tajazai-Lakki Road. They held banners and shouted slogans for Pakistan’ armed forces and against India.

Vice Chancellor Prof Aurangzeb Khan condemned the Indian attacks on innocent civilians and announced full support for the country’s armed forces.

In Swabi, the district administration and police arranged a rally against Indian aggression and expressed solidarity with the Pakistan Army in the present hour of need.

The participants blasted the Indian authorities over attacks on unarmed civilians.

Rallies were also held in Tank district to condemn the recent acts of Indian aggression and express support for Pakistan’s armed forces.

The demonstrators included traders, civil society members, students, elders and representatives from different departments, who held placards and banners and shouted slogans against the Indian aggression and in support of the armed forces.

Published in Dawn, May 9th, 2025