0
• Corps commanders moot asserts no one can coerce Pakistan through ‘use or threat of force’; generals say all measures necessary to ‘safeguard country’s vital interests’
• Forum reviews ceasefire agreement with India, says Islamabad responded with ‘strategic restraint and operational clarity’
• Death toll from Khuzdar bombing rises to seven as CTD registers case
ISLAMABAD: As the number of those martyred in the Khuzdar school bus bombing rose to seven on Thursday, the military top brass vowed to pursue “all proxies and facilitators of terrorism with unrelenting resolve” while accusing India of employing covert tactics after suffering military setbacks in recent hostilities.
The corps commanders rejected what they called attempts at external coercion and asserted they would safeguard the country’s critical national interests and signalled an intensified counter-terrorism campaign amid rising security threats.
“No one can coerce Pakistan through the use or threat of force. The nation will take all measures necessary to safeguard its vital interests,” participants of the corps commanders’ conference said as per a statement issued by the military’s public relations wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations.
The declaration came at the 270th Corps Commanders’ Conference held at the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi — the first such meeting chaired by Field Marshal Asim Munir since his elevation to five-star rank earlier this week. The rare second meeting of the forum in the same month, which is usually convened once a month, underscores the urgency of developments following heightened tensions with India.
The forum took stock of the regional security environment in the aftermath of Pakistan’s military response to recent Indian aggression. Senior generals lauded the swift execution of Operation Bunyanmn Marsoos and Marka-i-Haq, launched after the Pahalgam incident escalated tensions earlier this month.
“The forum lauded the professionalism, synergy, courage, and resilience of Pakistan’s Armed Forces and the unwavering support of the nation, which together repelled aggression with exemplary precision and resolve,” the ISPR statement said. “History would recall with pride Pakistan’s swift and resolute defensive posture, which neutralised a grave threat within hours of its emergence.”
Rejecting Indian pressure in the lead up to hostilities in a bid to refrain from retaliation, the army underscored that “Pakistan responded with strategic restraint and operational clarity, upholding both deterrence and moral authority”.
The top brass also reviewed the fragile ceasefire agreement in place since May 10 and the ongoing troop drawdown along the international border. A strategic appraisal was also conducted of military deployments across the Line of Control, the Working Boundary, and Pakistan’s eastern frontier.
The commanders voiced alarm over the humanitarian situation in Indian-occupied Kashmir, calling for international intervention. The forum expressed deep concern over persistent human rights abuses in occupied Kashmir and condemned “these actions as they contributed to organic backlash and perpetuated cycles of violence”, the ISPR noted.
‘Vital interests’
The protection of Pakistan’s vital interests, particularly in view of India’s suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, was another focal point. As a lower riparian state, Pakistan views any disruption to the treaty as an existential threat.
“No one can coerce Pakistan through the use or threat of force,” the statement reiterated. “The nation will take all measures necessary to safeguard its vital interests.”
Turning inward, the generals also addressed the persistent threat of terrorism, particularly in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The forum condemned the recent terrorist attack on a school bus in Khuzdar, Balochistan, which killed four children and two adults, attributing it to India-backed proxies.
“The forum unequivocally condemned this barbaric act, noting its deliberate targeting of non-combatants, particularly children, as a reprehensible violation of all norms of humanity and international conduct,” the statement read.
Accusing India of employing covert tactics after military setbacks, the military leadership vowed a comprehensive crackdown on terrorism. “The Armed Forces, in close synergy with intelligence and law enforcement agencies, will pursue all proxies and facilitators of terrorism with unrelenting resolve,” the ISPR said. “These hostile elements, trained and financed to incite chaos and fear, will be dismantled and decimated with full force of national will and institutional strength, InshaAllah,” the statement added.
The forum’s expanded attendance, including three-star generals beyond the usual composition, reflected the significance of the moment and the collective reaffirmation of confidence in Field Marshal Asim Munir’s leadership. “The forum extended its felicitations to the army chief on his conferment as field marshal, acknowledging his strategic foresight, resolute leadership, and enduring contributions to national defence,” the statement said. Field Marshal Munir, in his concluding remarks, reaffirmed his trust in the armed forces and emphasised the importance of public backing.
Khuzdar toll rises
Separately, the Counter-Terrorism Department of the Balochistan police registered a case against unknown assailants in connection with the Khuzdar suicide attack on the Army Public School Bus, as the death toll rose to seven after another girl student succumbed to injuries.
According to an eyewitness who reached the site soon after the blast, the blood-stained books, copies and students’ bags were lying on the road, next to the completely wrecked school bus.
The CTD and other law enforcement agencies were investigating the suicide attack. They collected the cellphones of the people, who were present in the nearby shops to examine the footage of the explosion that also damaged several nearby shops and petrol pumps. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Abdul Wahid Shahwani in Khuzdar and Saleem Shahid in Quetta also contributed to this report
Published in Dawn, May 23rd, 2025
