Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari has mentioned Indians “consider in Akhand Bharat” whereas claiming that the nation’s Hindus would favor to stay in Pakistan slightly than transfer to India.
Talking at an Independence Day gathering on August 14, Zardari mentioned Pakistanis and Indians maintain totally different views, whereas asserting that Hindus in Pakistan are free to practise their faith.
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“The Indians consider in Akhand Bharat. However we’re Muslims. They don’t seem to be. However we’re Muslims of the mindset that tolerates. We’ve got a 4% Hindu inhabitants in Pakistan. They’re as free as wherever else. They’d slightly be with us than India,” claims Pakistan President Zardari.
Zardari made the remarks whereas discussing Pakistan’s ties with India, the function of the armed forces and the broader geopolitical scenario within the area. Pakistan, which was created by the Partition of British India, marks its Independence Day a day earlier than India.
Pakistan management requires peace, unity
Pakistan’s high civil and navy management on Friday known as for nationwide unity, peace and financial improvement because the nation marked its eightieth Independence Day.
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In his Independence Day message, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif mentioned Islamabad needed peace however wouldn’t permit that place to be interpreted as weak point.
“We are not looking for battle; we wish peace. However the want for peace shouldn’t be taken as weak point,” he mentioned.
Referring to final yr’s four-day battle with India, Sharif mentioned Pakistan remained dedicated to defending its nationwide pursuits, together with its rights over water sources. He additionally mentioned the nation would proceed working as a accountable nation and as a stabilising drive for regional and world peace.
Sharif raises Indus Waters Treaty, Kashmir
On Might 7, 2025, India launched Operation Sindoor towards terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in response to the Pahalgam assault, wherein 26 civilians have been killed.
India and Pakistan reached an understanding to finish the battle after 4 days of intense cross-border drone and missile strikes.
Sharif accused India of “unilaterally and illegally suspending” the Indus Waters Treaty.
“I declare in clear phrases that each single drop of Pakistan’s water is our purple line,” he mentioned.
New Delhi suspended the treaty final yr as one of many measures taken towards Islamabad following the Pahalgam terror assault.
Sharif additionally raised the Kashmir challenge and known as on Afghanistan’s management to make sure that its territory was not used for terrorism towards Pakistan.
He highlighted Pakistan’s trilateral defence settlement with Saudi Arabia and Turkiye, describing it as proof of the nation’s rising regional function.
Sharif thanks Trump over ceasefire
Sharif additionally thanked US President Donald Trump for his function in “securing a ceasefire” between India and Pakistan final yr.
India has categorically rejected the declare of third-party mediation.
In the meantime, Zardari praised Pakistan’s armed forces in his Independence Day message. He claimed that below Discipline Marshal Asim Munir’s management, the navy had given a “befitting reply to India” throughout final yr’s battle.
(With inputs from companies)
