Ready for war and peace, choice is yours, Pakistan PM tells India

Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif on Wednesday visited the frontline areas of “Operation Bunyan-um Marsoos,” part of Marka-e-Haq (Battle for Truth), expressing solidarity with armed forces and lauding their role in defending the country’s sovereignty.

On May 10, Pakistan launched “Operation Bunyan-um Marsoos” and deployed its Al-Fatah missile and targeted multiple Indian military installations. Pakistan destroyed BrahMos storage facilities at Beas and Nagrota and S-400 battery systems at Adampur and Bhuj were also attacked and effectively neutralised by Pakistan Air Force.

During his visit to Pasrur Cantonment near Sialkot on Wednesday, prime minister was accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, Chief of Army Staff General Asim Munir, Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Babar Sidhu, federal ministers Ahsan Iqbal and Attaullah Tarar, Corps Commander Sialkot, and senior civil and military officials.

Shahbaz met with officers and soldiers actively engaged in the military operation. “The nation is proud of your dedication and sacrifice,” the prime minister told troops during his interaction, as per a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office.

The prime minister also announced plans to visit various air and naval bases in the coming days to meet with personnel from the Pakistan Air Force and Pakistan Navy, in a show of support for all branches of the armed forces.

During his visit, Shehbaz said it is up to India to choose war or peace in relations with Pakistan. “We are ready for war and peace. Choice is yours,” he said.

Prime minister also warned India from stopping water flow after it held the Indus Water Treaty in abeyance. “If you stop our water, then it is the red line. Water is our right. The brave, valiant forces will fight for our right,” he said.

The prime minister said the Kashmir issue should be resolved as per the United Nations resolutions and then talks will be held on trade. He said trade talks cannot be held in isolation but rather through a comprehensive dialogue.

He said Pakistan has called for a complete and partial investigation into the Pahalgam attack and agreed to fully cooperate, but India responded by attacking in the dark of night and received a befitting reply.

He concluded by saying that Pakistan’s martyrs have always been a source of pride for the nation. “The nation shall eternally remain indebted to them.”

Also during the day, PM Shahbaz held a call with UN chief Antonio Guterres in which “he expressed concerns over the continued provocative and inflammatory remarks by Indian leadership, as a threat to the fragile regional peace,” his office said in a statement.

Pakistan’s foreign ministry said that it rejected Indian Prime Ministers Narendra Modi’s “provocative and inflammatory assertions” and his “propensity to fabricate misleading narratives to justify aggression.”

“Make no mistake, we will closely monitor India’s actions and behaviour in this regard in the coming days. We also urge the international community to do the same,” it added in a statement.

Earlier, Pakistan returned a captured border guard to India, in a fresh sign of detente after a ceasefire ended four days of conflict between the two neighbours.

The guard was captured a day after an April attack in Jammu and Kashmir that killed 26 people and sparked tit-for-tat missile, drone and fighter jet attacks.

“Purnam Kumar Shaw, who had been in the custody of Pakistan Rangers since 23 April 2025, was handed over to India,” India’s Border Security Force said in a statement. The handover was “conducted peacefully and in accordance with established protocols,” it added. “I am very happy today,” Shaw’s wife Rajani, who is pregnant, told reporters following the announcement. She had earlier told the Indian Express newspaper that before the ceasefire she had “lost all hope.”

Pakistan’s army announced on Wednesday a new death toll from the fighting, saying India’s “unprovoked and reprehensible dastardly attacks” killed 40 civilians, half of them women and children. It also said 13 military service members had been killed during operations. India has said that 15 civilians and five soldiers died on its side.

Agencies