PM Shehbaz addresses Marka-i-Haq ceremony at Pakistan Monument in Islamabad

The conflict with India — starting from the April 22 Pahalgam attack to the end of Operation Bunyanum Marsoos with a ceasefire between the two countries on May 10 — has been called “Marka-i-Haq” (Battle of Truth) by the state.

President Asif Ali Zardari and Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir are among those attending the ceremony in Islamabad, where Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Naveed Ashraf and Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmad Baber Sidhu are also present.

PM Shehbaz began his address by observing one minute of silence for those martyred during the period of conflict.

Recalling the conflict, PM Shehbaz said that India “using Pahalgam as an excuse, made baseless accusations against Pakistan”. However, he further recalled that despite Pakistan offering a transparent investigation into the incident, the “enemy in the dark of the night attacked our mosques, children and imposed a war on us”.

“Our brave armed forces gave the enemy a historic response,” he said, adding that the war summary was “that our Shaheens dominated the conflict from all sides”.

The ceremony began with a march past and the recitation of the Holy Quran.

A fly past was also planned but had to be aborted due to bad weather.

Patriotic songs have also been performed during the ceremony.