By: Isaac Kwabena Boadu Date: 15th May, 2026
Pakistan’s military commemorated the first anniversary of the four-day May 2025 confrontation with India, warning that any future “hostile design” against the country would be met with “greater strength, precision and resolve” than during last year’s escalation. The statement was issued Thursday as ceremonies were held across Pakistan to mark what Islamabad calls Marka-e-Haq, or “Battle of Truth.”
The 2025 crisis began after gunmen killed 26 people, most of them Hindu tourists, in Pahalgam in Indian-administered Kashmir on April 22, 2025. India blamed Pakistan-backed militants and launched missile and airstrikes inside Pakistan on May 7, 2025. Pakistan responded with drone incursions, missile strikes, and artillery fire across the Line of Control. The exchanges killed dozens of civilians and soldiers on both sides and displaced thousands along border districts in Punjab and Kashmir before a U.S.-brokered ceasefire took effect on May 10, 2025.
Civil society groups in Pakistan have called for an independent, transparent investigation into the Pahalgam attack and into civilian casualties on both sides, arguing that accountability is essential to prevent recurrence and protect the right to life and security.
Pakistan’s Inter-Services Public Relations said the anniversary serves to honor those killed and to reaffirm that national defense remains anchored in deterrence and restraint. The military added that it remains committed to regional stability but will not accept unilateral aggression. New Delhi has not issued a formal statement on the anniversary. The 2025 ceasefire, mediated by the U.S., remains in place, though sporadic cross-border firing and diplomatic tensions have persisted over the past year.
AFRICAN VOICES INTERNATIONAL, FREEDOM IN AFRICA
