Indian aggression created a ‘new Pakistan’, believe parliamentarians

ISLAMABAD: Parliamentarians from across the political divide in the National Assembly Tuesday agreed in unison that the recent Indian military aggression led to the emergence of a ‘new Pakistan’ capable of ferociously defending its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Participating in a discussion in the lower house of parliament on military tensions between the two nuclear neighbors, former state minister for foreign affairs Hina Rabbani Khar said the military tensions between Pakistan and India should not be a matter of celebration. “Celebrating how one nuclear power challenges another without regard for capability or consequence is deeply irresponsible,” she said.

The PPP Parliamentarians MNA accused India of repeatedly crossing red lines, while Pakistan “demonstrated restraint” despite what she called a “fever of extremism” gripping the Indian leadership at the time. She maintained that the whole Pakistan stood united in the face of that aggression and noted that India misread Pakistan’s restraint as weakness.

It was a miscalculation that could have led to catastrophic consequences, she added. She also condemned India’s actions in recent regional military tensions and warning against what she described as a growing disregard for international law and norms. She said Pakistan proved its capabilities through both defensive and calibrated offensive responses. “The belief that India could serve as a regional security provider has been undermined by its inability to secure its own borders during confrontations with Pakistan,” she said. She recalled the 2019 crisis following India’s airstrikes inside Pakistani territory, a move she described as “reckless escalation.” She also criticized Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s unilateral declarations regarding Kashmir, asking whether the world was expected to “pay homage” to such claims while turning a blind eye to the long-standing international resolutions on the disputed region. Referring to US President Donald Trump’s acknowledgement of Kashmir as a disputed territory, Khar argued that the Indian narrative had begun to unravel. “The illusion of India’s conventional and military supremacy has been broken, not by Pakistan, but by Modi’s own extremist policies,” she said. Pakistan’s military professionalism and operational competence has altered global perceptions of power in South Asia. “Pakistan’s competency was underestimated. We do not just possess technologically advanced weapons – we train to use them better,” she said. She welcomed President Trump’s offer to mediate on Kashmir and noted that when he and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio advocated a ceasefire, they were quickly accused of dishonesty by Indian voices.

Khar was confident that Pakistan would remain unapologetic in defending its sovereignty and would continue to celebrate the restoration of peace, including the role played by international partners in achieving a ceasefire. She said India’s attempts to disassociate itself diplomatically from Pakistan was a strategy which had failed over the last 15 years. She also stressed that India had shown itself to be an irresponsible nuclear actor in the region, not Pakistan. “By provoking Pakistan into conflict, they re-hyphenated themselves with us in the eyes of the world,” she said.

Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri of JUI-F said Pakistan planned the best policy to counter and respond to India’s aggression. He said the whole nation was standing behind the government and armed forces during the war with India, while same was not the situation with Indian Premier Modi and his government who continued to face wrath of their public. “This was also the main factor which made the difference and Pakistan emerged triumphant,” he said.

Haideri said Pakistan should not forget its friendly countries like China, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye who stood with it in the critical juncture. Abdul Qadar Patel of PPP called Narendra Modi ‘Surrender Modi’ saying in his speech the Indian Premier admitted his defeat. Patel said Pakistan would also defeat India’s designs and respond to the adversary’s aggression if the Pakistani nation continued to demonstrate unity.

Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Dr. Tariq Fazal Chaudhry praised the national unity and the courage of the armed forces during the Indian aggression, calling it the rise of a “new Pakistan. He said the entire nation – including lawmakers – stood together during the Indian aggression. “India wrongly assumed we were divided. That mistake led to their defeat,” he added. Dr. Tariq highlighted the bravery of the armed forces, saying, “India can never match the spirit of sacrifice and courage shown by our military. Their attack was stopped with strength and skill.” He said the Indian miscalculation came at a time when their proxies were losing ground inside Pakistan due to the efforts of the armed forces. “India may have tried to shift our military’s focus from internal security to border defense, but we were fully ready.” He appreciated the role of Pakistani media, noting it was praised internationally, while Indian media was mocked for spreading false news. He also praised the military leadership, especially Chief of Army Staff General Asim Munir and Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Babar Sidhu for their professionalism.

The House passed two bills including the International Examination Board Bill, 2024 and Ghurki Institute of Science and Technology Bill, 2024. Several private members bills were introduced in the House on Tuesday. The introduced bills include the Elections Amendment Bill, 2025, Trade Organizations Amendment Bill, 2025, The Parliamentary Budget Office bill, Islamabad Capital Territory Senior Citizens Amendment Bill, 2025, the Control of Narcotic Substances Amendment Bill, 2015, the Industrial Relations Amendment Bill, 2025, The Export Development Fund Amendment Bill, The Al Musaddiq Institute of Higher Education Bill, The Civil Servants Amendment Bill, The Trade Development Authority of Pakistan Amendment Bill, Rawal International University Islamabad Bill , Pakistan General Cosmetics (Repeal) Bill 2025 and Wah Institute of Modern Sciences, Wah Cantt bill, 2025.