PAK AVM SAYS PAF vs IAF — 6-NIL: In Trump, Pakistan has found a great partner, says Shehbaz

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed gratitude to President Trump for his “invaluable offer” to play a greater role in bringing lasting peace to South Asia.

In a post on X, he said Pakistan and the United States have been partners for decades, working closely to protect and promote their mutual interests, as well as to uphold peace and security in critical parts of the world.

Expressing confidence in Trump, PM Shehbaz remarked that Pakistan has found a great partner who can reinvigorate the strategic partnership and further strengthen Pakistan-US ties, not only in trade and investment but across all areas of cooperation.

Pakistan Foreign Office has welcomed the US President Donald Trump’s offer to work with Pakistan and India to achieve a “solution” to the longstanding Kashmir dispute and appreciated his willingness to support peace efforts following days of military clashes.

“We acknowledge with appreciation the constructive role played by the United States, alongside other friendly states, in supporting the recent ceasefire understanding between Pakistan and India; a step towards de-escalation and regional stability,” the Foreign Office said in a statement.

The latest escalation in the decades-old rivalry began on May 7 when at least 31 civilians, including children, were killed in an unprovoked Indian cross-border attack. In retaliation, Pakistan downed five IAF fighter jets, including three Rafales, and dozens of drones.

On Friday night, India launched multiple missile attacks on Pakistani airbases, including the Nur Khan, Murid, and Shorkot airbases, which were fired from aircraft, according to Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (DG ISPR), Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry.

In response, Pakistan launched “Operation Bunyanum Marsoos” against India early on Saturday, targeting multiple military bases, including a missile storage sites in India.

Meanwhile, buoyed by his feat in securing India-Pakistan ceasefire, US President Donald Trump Sunday pledged to increase trade substantially with the two South Asian neighbours and find a solution to the long-running Kashmir dispute.

In a post on Truth Social, the US leader praised the “strong and unwaveringly powerful” leadership of India and Pakistan for reaching a ceasefire, saying their legacy is greatly enhanced by their brave actions. “I will work with you both to see if, after a ‘thousand years,’ a solution can be arrived at concerning Kashmir.

“God Bless the leadership of India and Pakistan on a job well done!!!.”

After four days of intense military exchange, India and Pakistan agreed to a ceasefire along the Line of Control in the disputed Kashmir region and the International Border on Saturday.

“I am very proud of the strong and unwaveringly powerful leadership of India and Pakistan for having the strength, wisdom, and fortitude to fully know and understand that it was time to stop the current aggression that could have (led) to the death and destruction of so many, and so much,” he said.

“Millions of good and innocent people could have died! Your legacy is greatly enhanced by your brave actions.

“I am proud that the USA was able to help you arrive at this historic and heroic decision,” Trump said. He went on to say that even though this has not been discussed, he is going to ‘increase trade substantially with both of these great Nations.’

Trump on Saturday announced that India and Pakistan had agreed to a ‘full and immediate’ ceasefire after a ‘long night’ of talks mediated by Washington.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Saturday said that over the past 48 hours, Vice President J D Vance and he engaged with senior Indian and Pakistani officials, including Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Shehbaz Sharif, External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Chief of Army Staff General Asim Munir, and National Security Advisers Ajit Doval and Lt General Asim Malik.

“I am pleased to announce the governments of India and Pakistan have agreed to an immediate ceasefire and to start talks on a broad set of issues at a neutral site,” Rubio said.

Vance had also expressed gratitude to the leaders of India and Pakistan for their ‘hard work and willingness to engage in this ceasefire’.

“Great work from the President’s team, especially Secretary Rubio. And my gratitude to the leaders of India and Pakistan for their hard work and willingness to engage in this ceasefire,” Vance said in a post on X.

Meanwhile, addressing a press briefing, DG ISPR Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said the presser was aimed to apprise the nation on the conduct and conclusion of ‘Operation Bunyanum Marsoos — a military campaign launched in response to Indian aggression that began on the night of May 6 and 7, resulting in the loss of civilian lives, including women and children. He noted that Pakistan had pledged justice and retribution for the reprehensible Indian military strikes and brutal civilian casualties. “Pakistan armed forces have fulfilled the promise that made to our people.”

Briefing the media, the DG ISPR said that a total of 26 military targets were engaged, including facilities used to launch attacks on Pakistani civilians and involved in supporting terrorism within Pakistan. “Pakistan’s armed response under Operation Bunyanum Marsoos included a broad array of high-value military targets in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) and mainland India,” he said.

Among the critical sites hit were Indian Air Force and aviation bases at Suratgarh, Sirsa, Poonch, Naliya, Adampur, Bhatinda, Barnala, Halwara, Awantipura, Srinagar, Jammu, Udhampur, Mamoon, Ambala and Pathankot, all of which sustained major damage.

Other key targets included BrahMos missile storage facilities in Fayaz and Nagrota, identified as the source of earlier missile attacks on Pakistani soil. S-400 missile batteries at Adampur and Poonch were also neutralised by the Pakistan Air Force.

Military logistics sites such as the Field Supply Depot in Uri and a radar station in Poonch were also targeted. Command and planning hubs — 10th Brigade and 80 Brigade at KG Top and Nowshera — which were directly involved in planning attacks that killed Pakistani children were also destroyed, he added.

Furthermore, he said, intelligence fusion units and operational field elements in Rajouri and Nowshera, which were responsible for training and supporting proxy elements linked to terrorism in Pakistan, were also destroyed.

“Military positions across the Line of Control responsible for unprovoked shelling on Azad Jammu and Kashmir were also heavily targeted, resulting in significant damage. Several of these enemy units reportedly raised white flags and requested restraint following the precision strikes,” he added.

Lt Gen Chaudhry said that the Pakistan armed forces’ retaliatory action against Indian aggression was a “textbook demonstration” of tri-services jointness and operational excellence. “Pakistan’s response was enabled by real-time situational awareness, advanced network-centric warfare capabilities and seamless multi-domain operations across air, land, sea, and cyberspace,” he said.

The DG ISPR further said that the synergy among all platforms allowed for precision engagements, overwhelming lethality and rapid tempo operations. “Precision-guided long-range missiles — Fateh-1 and Fateh-2 — were employed by the Pakistan Army, while the Pakistan Air Force utilised highly capable long-range munitions and precision-guided weaponry. Long-range artillery units also contributed significantly to the strike package,” he added.

Addressing the presser, the DG ISPR said the Pakistan armed forces expressed profound appreciation for the brave Pakistani nation, whose moral strength, unshakeable resolve and wholehearted support and prayers served as a force multiplier during these testing times.

Special acknowledgment was given to the youth of Pakistan, who played a crucial role as frontline cyber warriors, defending the nation’s narrative in the digital space.

The armed forces also thanked the vibrant Pakistani media for standing firm against India’s information warfare and war-mongering.

The military also expressed deep gratitude to the political leadership of all parties “without any distinction”, for demonstrating unified resolve and unwavering support for the armed forces and the defence of Pakistan’s sovereignty.

As part of Operation Bunyanum Marsoos, Pakistan Armed Forces also carried out comprehensive and effective cyber offensives, temporarily crippling and degrading critical Indian military infrastructure and services, the DG ISPR said. “These cyber strikes targeted systems directly supporting Indian military operations and were designed to disrupt their warfighting capabilities without affecting civilian platforms,” he added.

Vice Admiral Rab Nawaz said the Pakistan Navy safeguarded the country’s maritime boundaries by keeping an Indian warship, positioned 400 nautical miles away, from advancing towards the Pakistani waters.

Addressing a joint press conference alongside DG ISPR Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry and Air Vice Marshal (AVM) Tariq Mehmood, the vice admiral said that the enemy refrained from further movement after observing the Navy’s state of readiness.

AVM Tariq said when it comes to the aerial combat, it’s PAF versus IAF — 6-nil.

In response to a question, DG ISPR Lt Gen Chaudhry confirmed that no Indian pilot was in Pakistan Army’s custody following military clashes. “I can confirm you that we do not have any pilot in custody… this is all social media chatter, this is all part of multiple sources of fake news and propaganda,” he said.

Meanwhile, China has supported the Indo-Pak ceasefire and said that it must be jointly observed to prevent the recurrence of conflict. “This [ceasefire] serves the interests of both Pakistan and India, contributes to regional peace and stability, and meets the common expectations of the international community. China is willing to continue playing a positive role in this regard,” Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his Pakistani counterpart, Ishaq Dar, over the phone.

During the telephonic call, made at Dar’s request, Wang Yi said that China supported Pakistan in protecting its sovereignty and dignity. He said that as a neighbour of both Pakistan and India, China was concerned about the escalation of the conflict between the two countries. “The conflict has caused civilian casualties on the Pakistani side, and China expresses its sympathies over this,” he said.

The Chinese foreign minister said that Beijing believes that Islamabad would respond to the current situation with calm and make decisions in line with its fundamental and long-term interests. He noted that Pakistan stood at the forefront of international fight against terrorism and had made important contributions to the counter-terrorism efforts. “China supports Pakistan’s continued firm counter-terrorism actions,” he said. Wang Yi also said his country believes that Pakistan would ensure the security and safety of Chinese personnel and institutions on its soil.

Dar updated his Chinese counterpart on the Indo-Pak conflict and said that despite a ceasefire with India, Pakistan would not relax its vigilance and would respond to any actions that violate its sovereignty and territorial integrity. He thanked the Chinese government for its mediation efforts to achieve a ceasefire and cessation of hostilities. “Pakistan stands ready to maintain close communication with China and the international community,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has welcomed the ceasefire between Pakistan and India and appreciated the “efforts of intermediary countries”. “We call on the international community to encourage Pakistan and India to engage in constructive dialogue to resolve outstanding issues,” said the 57-state Muslim bloc in a statement.

“We stress the need for a peaceful resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir issue in accordance with Security Council resolutions to avoid tension between two nuclear powers in South Asia,” the statement added. “We are concerned about the military escalation in South Asia and call for restraint and the avoidance of destabilising the region,” it added.

Meanwhile, Pope Leo XIV welcomed the recent ceasefire between India and Pakistan, negotiated overnight, and said he was praying to God to grant the world the “miracle of peace.” The new pope, elected on May 8, appealed to the world’s major powers for “no more war” in his first Sunday message to crowds in St Peter’s Square since his election as pontiff. Leo said he was glad to hear of the recent India-Pakistan ceasefire and hoped negotiations would lead to a lasting accord between the nuclear-armed neighbors. He added: “But there are so many other conflicts in the world!”