MUZAFFARABAD: Adviser to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah on Saturday warned India of an even stronger response if it repeated its recent unprovoked aggression along the Line of Control (LoC), saying the entire Pakistani nation stood united behind its armed forces and the resilient people of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).

“India suffered humiliation on the global stage due to Pakistan’s effective military and diplomatic response. If it commits the same mistake again, it will face an even harsher reaction,” he said while speaking to the media during a visit to Neelum valley, one of the areas hit by Indian shelling.

“I salute the brave people living along the LoC for their unmatched courage and steadfastness in the face of Indian brutality. No threat can shake their resolve, and no power in the world can defeat a nation that embraces martyrdom with such spirit,” he said.

Mr Sanaullah, who was accompanied by PML-N AJK President Shah Ghulam Qadir and other senior officials, conveyed messages of solidarity from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Chief of Army Staff Gen Syed Asim Munir, and PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif to the residents of AJK.

Adviser distributes Rs39m among martyrs’ families, injured in Muzaffarabad, Neelum

In Neelum valley, Deputy Commissioner Nadeem Ahmed Janjua briefed him on the civilian casualties and infrastructural damage caused by the recent Indian aggression.

The adviser visited the homes of two civilians martyred in the shelling and handed over compensation cheques of Rs 10 million each on behalf of the prime minister. He also distributed Rs 2 million each to two critically injured persons, and Rs 1 million each to four others who sustained injuries.

Earlier, Mr Sanaullah visited Shawai area of Muzaffarabad, where Indian missiles had struck Bilal Mosque, killing the mosque’s muezzin, Muhammad Yaqoob, and injuring the daughter of a local resident, Safeer Awan.

He offered condolences to the bereaved family and handed over a cheque of Rs 10 million to the martyr’s relatives and Rs 1 million to the injured girl, along with announcing a scholarship for her education.

Addressing the media during his Muzaffarabad visit, the adviser said his tour was meant to assure the victims that the government and people of Pakistan stood with them in their grief.

“I am here on the special instructions of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to offer our full support to the families of martyrs and injured,” he stated.

He lauded the Pakistan Armed Forces for giving a “befitting and timely” response to the Indian military’s aggression and expressed confidence that Pakistan’s firm stance had exposed New Delhi before the world.

“The recent atrocities by Indian forces in occupied Kashmir following the Pahalgam incident have again brought the Kashmir issue into global focus. God willing, this renewed momentum will lead to a just and lasting resolution,” he added.

Mr Sanaullah reiterated that Pakistan would continue to extend diplomatic, moral, and political support to the oppressed people of occupied Jammu and Kashmir until they achieved their right to self-determination.

Published in Dawn, May 18th, 2025