- COAS chairs special session of CCC, reviews prevailing geo-strategic environment, Pakistan-India standoff and regional security calculus
- Forum reaffirms military’s resolve to uphold country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity against any aggression or misadventure
- Army’s top brass reiterates Pakistan’s path to peace and development would not be deterred by terrorism, coercion or aggression
- Deliberate destabilisation efforts by India will be confronted and defeated with resolve and clarity: ISPR
ISLAMABAD: The military top brass on Friday reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to peace, stability, and prosperity, warning that any Indian attempt to impose war would be responded to “surely and decisively,” amid simmering tensions between Islamabad and New Delhi in the wake last week’s attack in India occupied Kashmir.
The affirmation came during a special session of Corps Commanders’ Conference (CCC) chaired by Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Syed Asim Munir at General Headquarters (GHQ), Rawalpindi, according to the military media wing.
The April 22 attack in Pahalgam, a tourist attraction in Indian occupied Kashmir killed 26 tourists. India quickly accused Pakistan of involvement and implemented a series of downgraded diplomatic and economic ties. These measures included suspending the Indus Water Treaty, terminating a visa-free travel agreement, and closing the Attari border crossing. Pakistan has denied the accusations and has retaliated by suspending trade with India and closing its airspace to Indian airlines.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also called for a credible, transparent and neutral investigation into the Pahalgam.
Tensions have since spiked, with Pakistan reinforcing its forces and India’s premier granting “operational freedom” to the military. As Pakistan, in the early hours of Wednesday, said it expected an Indian incursion within 24–36 hours, diplomatic channels have been engaged to prevent conflict.
A day ago, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir warned that “any military misadventure by India will be met with a swift, resolute, and notch-up response.”
A press release issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said the army chief presided over a special session of the Corps Commanders’ Conference (CCC) at the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi on Friday.
At the session, the military top brass conducted a comprehensive review of the prevailing geo-strategic environment, with particular emphasis on the current Pakistan-India standoff and the broader regional security calculus.
“While reaffirming Pakistan’s abiding commitment to peace, stability, and prosperity, the forum made clear that any attempt to impose war will be responded to, surely and decisively and aspirations of people of Pakistan shall be respected at all costs,” the ISPR said.
“The forum reaffirmed the unflinching resolve of the Pakistan Armed Forces to uphold the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country against any aggression or misadventure,” it added.
The ISPR said the army’s top brass reiterated that Pakistan’s path to peace and development would not be deterred by terrorism, coercion or aggression — whether directly or through proxies.
“Deliberate destabilisation efforts by the Indian government will be confronted and defeated with resolve and clarity,” the statement said.
The ISPR said COAS Munir lauded the military’s “unwavering professionalism, steadfast morale and operational preparedness”, saying that it stood in unity with the nation to defend the homeland at all costs.
The army chief also highlighted the critical importance of “heightened vigilance and proactive readiness” across all fronts amid the situation.
The statement said the CCC participants expressed grave concern over the “intensification of Indian atrocities” in occupied Kashmir in the attack’s aftermath, as well as the continued targeting of innocent civilians along the Line of Control by Indian occupation forces.
They reiterated that such “inhumane and unprovoked acts” served only to escalate regional tensions and would be met with a “resolute and proportionate response”.
“The forum noted, with serious concern, India’s consistent pattern of exploitation of crises to achieve political and military objectives. They have been following a predictable template — whereby internal governance failures are externalised. These incidents have often coincided with unilateral moves by India to alter the status quo, as seen in 2019 when India similarly exploited the Pulwama incident to unilaterally alter the status quo of Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, through revocation of Article 370.
“In the latest instance, the Pahalgam episode appears to be part of a deliberate strategy to divert Pakistan’s focus away from the western front, as well as ongoing national efforts for economic revival; the two fronts where Pakistan is decisively and sustainably gaining grounds. Such diversionary tactics aimed at providing operational breathing space to Indian terror proxies will never succeed.
“In the same vein, the forum expressed serious concern that India is now exploiting the Pahalgam incident to undermine the longstanding Indus Waters Treaty, seeking to usurp Pakistan’s legitimate and inalienable water rights. This constitutes a dangerous attempt to weaponise water, threatening the livelihood and sustenance of over 240 million Pakistanis and escalating strategic instability in South Asia,” the ISPR said.
It added that the CCC members also “voiced deep alarm over credible evidence of direct Indian military and intelligence involvement in orchestrating terrorist activities” inside Pakistan.
The ISPR said these state-sponsored actions were in blatant violation of international norms and were universally unacceptable.
The statement said the meeting concluded with the COAS expressing “complete confidence in the operational readiness, deterrence posture and morale of all formations and strategic forces to defend the nation across the entire threat spectrum”.
