By Asim Shahzad
LAHORE: Chairman Senate Yousaf Raza Gilani has said that political leadership can only move forward through dialogue, while Pakistan’s military and political leadership together gave a befitting reply to India and invited it for peace and talks.
Speaking at the Waris Mir Foundation Seminar, Gilani said that the political and military leadership stand shoulder to shoulder for the security of the country. “I salute our armed forces and political leadership. The role of the institutions that worked behind the scenes against the Indian attack was irreplaceable,” he added.
On the occasion, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said Pakistan had full information and knowledge of Indian decisions before the war, with videos of all movements of Indian aircraft. “I give the most credit to these silent institutions. None of the 60 Indian missiles launched towards Pakistan fell on the air base. Our missiles were shot down near the settlement so that there was no loss of life. We destroyed India’s largest oil depot, and all the success was achieved with the help of Allah Almighty,” he said.
He added that although many targets were identified, Pakistan refrained from further attacks. He revealed that a Saudi government delegation also visited Pakistan during the conflict. “For the first time in the history of Pakistan, the way the army worked with a unified strategy was not seen in the Indian army. India is openly committing terrorism in Pakistan, whether in Balochistan or KP,” Naqvi said.
Speaker Punjab Assembly Malik Ahmed Khan said the discussion had begun at a very timely moment. Expressing fear of wars, he said, “I am afraid of the bullets raining down, of the game of dust and blood. For three decades, terrorism has plagued Pakistan, while the world unfairly blamed our security without any evidence.”
He added that before the morning of May 10, friendly countries supported Pakistan’s position, and later the world acknowledged that Pakistan’s forces had given such an effective response to India within four hours that it was recognized globally.
