• Opposition lawmakers stage protest during president’s address.
• President says Pakistan ready to thwart any sort of aggression.
• Calls for national unity, economic stability, inclusive growth.

President Asif Ali Zardari on Monday calling the war a last resort, urged India to shift from war theatres to meaningful negotiations — or face another humiliating defeat — and warned that Pakistan had already shown both India and Afghanistan only a fraction of its capabilities.

“Make no mistake. We are ready for you,” the president said in his annual address to the joint sitting of parliament.

“My message to them is to move away from war theatres to meaningful negotiating tables because that is the only path for regional security… India must listen to us attentively: Pakistan will continue to give its fullest diplomatic and moral support to the just cause of the people of Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.

Co-chaired by Senate Chairman Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani and National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, the session was attended by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and members of the National Assembly and Senate, while in the galleries were First Lady Aseefa Bhutto Zardari, provincial governors and chief ministers, and diplomats.

Opposition lawmakers staged a protest during the president’s address, chanting, “Go, Zardari, go” slogans.

The president, who addressed the parliament for the ninth time at the beginning of the new parliamentary year, deliberated on all national, regional, and international matters, including the Kashmir and Palestine issues, ongoing tension in the Gulf region, Marka-e-Haq and Ghazab lil-Haq operations, Indian violation of the Indus Waters Treaty, economy, provincial autonomy, and poverty.

The president said that nobody in South Asia would be free and safe until Kashmiris win their freedom from Indian occupation.

Middle East crisis

The president condemned the war waged on Iran and reaffirmed Pakistan’s support for its sovereignty and territorial integrity, besides condoling the martyrdom of the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei.

He also condemned the subsequent attacks launched on Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, and Qatar, calling for negotiated solutions to choose peace and restraint and save the region from a deepening crisis.

“The sooner stability returns to the region, the sooner the world can go back to the business of rebuilding lives and fractured trust. I urge the need to exercise maximum restraint, to uphold international law, and to respect the territorial integrity of all brotherly nations,” the president said.

Regarding Marka-e-Haq, he said that Pakistan initially showed restraint amid Indian violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty, but later its armed forces acted with outstanding professionalism and discipline, turning India’s attack into a landmark strategic victory.

Similarly, responding to the attacks by the Afghan Taliban regime on the night of February 26, the armed forces acted decisively.

“The political leadership stood united. The people stood resolute,” he said, and expressed gratitude to the security forces, including army, air force, navy, Rangers, Frontier Corps, police services and intelligence agencies for both the successful military encounters.

He said that while visiting the families of the martyred soldiers, he felt the same pain as he did at the time of the martyrdom of his wife Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto.

“This was not just a military victory; it was an expression of our national resolve in crisis… We bravely repulsed India’s aggression and emerged victorious, both militarily and diplomatically. Our decisive and principled response was acknowledged by world capitals, beyond a shadow of any doubt.”

Responding to the statements by Indian leaders of preparing for another war, he said that, being a lifelong advocate for regional peace, he would not recommend that.

“At the same time, I would also say that any aggressor should prepare for another humiliating defeat…Pakistan is a responsible nuclear state…At the same time, we are a state that defends itself decisively when required.”

Operation Ghazab lil-Haq

Deliberating on the Ghazab lil-Haq operation, President Zardari said that Pakistan had tried every possible form of diplomacy to prevent an outbreak of military responses to terrorist incursions from Afghanistan.

“For us, war is always the last option. No state accepts serial attacks on its soil… We have let both India and Afghanistan see a fraction of our capabilities,” he commented.

“Let me be clear: the soil of Pakistan is sacred. We will not allow any entity — domestic or foreign — to use neighbouring territory to destabilise our peace.”

The president said that despite multiple diplomatic engagements by Pakistan and friendly countries, the Afghan Taliban regime continued to provide safe sanctuaries to a variety of terrorist groups, including Al-Qaeda, BLA and TTP, in violation of all the promises made in Doha.

“They must choose to dismantle the terror groups that survive on conflict and its war economy. None of this will feed Afghanistan’s children or create opportunities for national cohesion… I would urge them to stop being used by another country as a battlefield for their ambitions,” the president remarked, saying that Pakistan always treated the Afghan people as kith and kin and never walked away from dialogue.

Pakistan’s foreign policy

Coming to the Pakistan-United States ties, the president appreciated the efforts of the countries to de-escalate the recent Pakistan-India conflict.

He added that during the last year, Pakistan and the US had opened new avenues for strategic cooperation, investment and economic partnerships, with the coming year expected to be more productive.

Similarly, he said the ironclad relationship with China had ascended to new heights in all areas as China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) 2.0 would revolutionise Pakistan’s infrastructure.

He said the entire nation was thankful to China for its solidarity with Pakistan during Marka-e-Haq and President Xi Jinping for advancing the shared objectives of security and connectivity.

Besides appreciating the deepened ties with the Gulf countries, Azerbaijan and Turkiye, the president said that the Pakistan-Saudi Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement was a new milestone in the region.

Highlighting the sufferings of the Palestinian people and the destruction of Gaza, he reiterated Pakistan’s unchanged principled stance of supporting the creation of an independent and undivided state of Palestine with borders as before 1967 and with Al-Quds Al Sharif as its capital.

President Zardari congratulated the people of Bangladesh on holding elections and forming a new government, saying that the bilateral relations were poised to become steadier and stronger.

President Zardari said that India’s attempts to manipulate river flows and its unilateral actions placing the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance were blatant hydro-terrorism, which weaponised vital water resources to exert political leverage, jeopardising Pakistan’s agricultural economy and violating international and humanitarian law.

He said that the unilateral blockage was impermissible under international law and vowed that Pakistan would defend its water rights with unwavering unity, resolve, strength, and legal clarity to safeguard regional stability.

President Zardari said that the provincial autonomy had strengthened participatory governance as a strong Federation required coordination, not centralisation, and constitutional forums like the Council of Common Interests must function effectively.

He also called for resolving the issues relating to natural resources, fiscal distribution, energy coordination and water management through consultation, and that he looked forward to a just and equitable National Finance Commission Award in the coming year.

Emphasising special attention for Balochistan province, he said that amidst efforts to dismantle insurgencies fueled by foreign proxies, the genuine social and economic grievances of the Baloch people were also being addressed. The people of Balochistan are and must remain full partners in Pakistan’s progress, he added.

Highlighting the country’s economic outlook, he commended the government for steering the economy out of a virtual collapse, citing improved indicators.

“But this is a first step on a journey to sustained, people-centric growth. Our salaried classes, pensioners, labourers and small traders have endured a long night of hardship. The next phase must therefore focus on inclusive growth, jobs, and direct relief,” he said, calling for transparency in taxation and expenditure, widening of tax base and adoption of technology and innovation to reshape the economy.

Emphasising the energy reforms as a precondition for industrial revival, he said the climate-resilient agriculture, water management and coordinated policy were strategic imperatives.

President Zardari also stressed the need to grow the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) to empower the poor, besides dismantling barriers to women’s progress, ensuring their safety, digital access, and financial independence.

He said that Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah envisioned a democratic state rooted in constitutionalism and the rule of law while Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto gave this nation its unanimous Constitution and Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto strengthened the democratic process through sacrifice and exemplary leadership.

He also highlighted that while being the president, he unilaterally returned the Presidency’s powers to the Houses of Parliament as envisioned in the 1973 Constitution.

“Through the historic 18th Amendment, today the Presidency stands as the symbol of the unity of the federation — a bridge between the federating units and a guardian of the constitutional laws that bind us all,” he added.

He said that with the start of the new parliamentary year, our priorities must be to protect sovereignty, eliminate terrorism, build on economic stability.

“Let us preserve the unity displayed in moments of trial. Let us institutionalise reform. Let us ensure that macro-economic gains translate into household relief. Let us safeguard our borders while creating opportunities within,” President Zardari urged.