Pakistan never shies away from dialogue with India, but it should be ‘meaningful’: FO
Speaking to the media, Foreign Ministry spokesman Tahir Andrabi recalled the four-day conflict with India last year and said that Pakistan would respond with full force in case of any attack.
Andrabi said, “Pakistan has never shied away from dialogue with India on any issue… We have repeatedly stated that we are ready for dialogue. However, dialogue requires two people, and for it to be meaningful, it must be a dialogue, not a monologue.” he said.
On the first anniversary of ‘Marka-e-Haq’, Pakistan’s name for its brief conflict with India, the army described it as a “defining chapter” in the country’s military history.
In response to the Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 people, mostly tourists, were killed, India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7 last year, carrying out airstrikes on nine terror infrastructures in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, eliminating at least 100 terrorists.
The action triggered a rapid escalation of tensions, with Pakistan launching retaliatory attacks, although most were blocked by the Indian military.
“The Pakistan Armed Forces continues to invest in critical capabilities, advanced technologies and professional excellence required to meet future challenges,” the Army said in a statement dated ‘Rawalpindi, Midnight 6/7 May 2026’.
Separately, Army spokesman Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said the conflict had 10 “strategic consequences”; The first of these was that “India’s narrative of portraying Pakistan as the source of terrorism remains buried.”
“Anyone who thinks there is space for war between two nuclear neighbors is crazy. That is madness,” he said while addressing a press conference where he was joined by the deputy chief of naval staff (operations), Rear Admiral Shafaat Ali and the deputy chief of air staff (projects) Air Vice Marshal Tariq Ghazi.
Responding to a question about India’s arms build-up and modernization of its forces, FO spokesperson Andrabi said Pakistan was monitoring this. “Following this arms buildup, Pakistan will ensure that our credible minimum deterrence is maintained.”
Responding to reports in some international media about a possible conflict with India, he said Pakistan has always underlined the importance of diplomacy and dialogue in resolving all bilateral issues related to India.
“We are not talking about conflicts. We are talking about dialogue and diplomacy. However, if an attack that happened exactly a year ago is imposed on us, Pakistan will respond and will respond with full force and all available means,” Andrabi said.
Chaudhry said the character of the conflict has changed due to multi-domain operations, non-contact warfare, synergy, proxies and information.
“War is no longer limited to borders. It is on land, at sea, in the air, in cyberspace… and in minds. It is also cognitive,” he said.
“Our intentions and thoughts about Kashmir will never change, and the intentions and thoughts of Kashmiris about us will never change,” he said.
Air Vice Marshal Ghazi said the PAF “continues to aggressively develop capability to maintain its qualitative edge when next put to the test.”
He said 160 projects are under development and some are nearing completion. However, he did not provide detailed information.
“Very soon they will contribute to the capabilities of PAF in particular and Pakistan in general,” he added.
