RAWALPINDI – The General Headquarters (GHQ) witnessed a grand ceremony marking the first anniversary of “Mark-e-Haq”, Pakistan’s retaliatory strike during last year’s military standoff with India.
The high-profile ceremony is being led by the Chief of Defence Forces and Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, and was attended by senior commanders and top defence officials.
The ceremony commemorates the 19-day military standoff between Pakistan and India that unfolded between April 22 and May 10, 2025, a period marked by rapidly escalating tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.
Pakistani forces responded with a show of valour when Islamabad launched an “unprovoked strike” following India’s incursion into illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir on the intervening night of May 6-7.
What followed, officials say, quickly escalated into an 87-hour high-intensity military confrontation that included airstrikes, border deployments, and widespread drone activity — a scenario that has raised serious international concerns about the risk of a full-scale war.
During the conflict, Pakistan maintains that its armed forces achieved significant battlefield successes, including shooting down eight Indian aircraft, including modern Rafale fighter jets — as well as intercepting and destroying numerous drones.
The standoff quickly became one of the most closely watched military tensions in South Asia, with both sides engaged in frequent operational activity alongside rapid diplomatic exchanges.
After several days of rising tensions and growing international concern, the situation de-escalated after a ceasefire agreement reportedly brokered by U.S. diplomatic intervention on May 10.
The agreement ended the 19-day standoff, although both sides continued to frame the events in different political and strategic narratives.
Since then, Pakistani officials have consistently presented the Nishan-e-Haq as a symbol of military preparedness, national unity, and strategic strength, highlighting it as a moment that bolstered confidence in the country’s defense capabilities.
The anniversary ceremony at GHQ is being seen as a powerful display of military solidarity and institutional trust, paying tribute to the personnel who took part in the clash.
As the proceedings continue in Rawalpindi, more details are expected to emerge from the high command meeting.
