ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday warned India that every drop of Pakistan’s water was a “red line”, saying Islamabad would respond firmly to any action threatening the country’s water security.
Addressing the inauguration ceremony of Yadgar-e-Fatah, a monument commemorating Pakistan’s victory in the May 2025 conflict with India, the prime minister said Pakistan remained committed to peace but its desire for peace should not be mistaken for weakness.
He said Pakistan would protect its vital national interests and respond firmly to any attempt to undermine its water security.
The prime minister said the nation was celebrating Independence Day under the shadow of the Victory Monument and paid tribute to the people and armed forces for what he described as their success in Marka-e-Haq.
He said the newly inaugurated monument represented the strength of the Pakistan Armed Forces and the unity of the nation. He described the public response to recent events as an “ocean of emotions” that had brought the people together.
وزیرِ اعظم محمد شہباز شریف نے قومی اتحاد وحدت ،یکجہتی اور دفاع وطن کے عزم مصمم کی علامت یادگار فتح کی افتتاحی تقریب میں شرکت کی اور خطاب کیا. صدر مملکت آصف علی زرداری اور وزیراعظم محمد شہباز شریف نے یادگار فتح کا افتتاح کیا۔ اس موقع پر نائب وزیراعظم و وزیر خارجہ محمد اسحاق… pic.twitter.com/h7US76xgW1
— Prime Minister’s Office (@PakPMO) August 13, 2026
Shehbaz paid tribute to Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir and the armed forces for their role in Marka-e-Haq, saying the nation stood with its head held high while the enemy had suffered a “humiliating defeat”.
He also congratulated Field Marshal Munir and his team on completing the Monument, praising its distinctive design and noting that the project had been completed in only eight months.
The prime minister said Pakistan had emerged as a symbol of stability in the region and pledged that the government would work to create new opportunities for the country’s younger generation.
He called on the international community to prevent the outbreak of new conflicts and said Pakistan had played a mediating role between the United States and Iran.
Shehbaz also credited US President Donald Trump with helping broker a timely ceasefire between Pakistan and India and expressed hope that relations between Islamabad and Washington would continue to strengthen.
آزادی کا جشن: اسلام آباد میں یادگارِ فتح کی شاندار افتتاحی تقریب۔ صدر آصف علی زرداری، وزیر اعظم شہباز شریف، فیلڈ مارشل عاصم منیر اور وزیر داخلہ محسن نقوی، وزیر دفاع خواجہ آصف اور وزیر اطلاعات عطا تارڑ تقریب میں پہنچ گئے pic.twitter.com/2HPjHlGL0U
— WE News (@WENewsPk) August 13, 2026
Referring to the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement, the prime minister said Türkiye had also become part of the accord, describing it as a symbol of peace in the Middle East.
He reiterated Pakistan’s support for the rights of the Palestinian people and said Islamabad’s position on Kashmir remained unequivocal. The sacrifices of the Kashmiris, he added, would not be allowed to go in vain.
The prime minister also urged the Afghan government to ensure that its territory was not used for terrorism against Pakistan.
“No power can defeat a united nation,” Shehbaz said, adding that no one should dare look at Pakistan with hostile intentions.
“We are all heirs to Pakistan, and our differences should not turn into enmity,” he said.
Befitting response to India
President Asif Ali Zardari, in his remarks, said the nation and its armed forces, under Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir’s leadership, had given a befitting response to India during last year’s conflict.
“This is in faith to remember what happened, in how many days it happened, where it happened, and this will go down in history for everyone to remember, whether today or the day after,” he said.
Zardari said Pakistan’s military response to Indian aggression had demonstrated that the country was not one that could be taken lightly.
“We are there as partners to the world, in the family of nations,” he said, adding that Pakistan was now recognised as an “international partner”.
The president said the monument reflected the unity of the nation, the strength of the armed forces and the sacrifices made for the country.
Zardari also praised the roles being played by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi.
“We’ve been successful till now. Life comes and goes … we’ve seen tragedies, we’ve seen successes [and] successfully managed to guide our system through,” he said.
Yadgar-e-Fatah inaugurated
Earlier, President Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz and Field Marshal Munir jointly inaugurated the Yadgar-e-Fatah, or Victory Monument.
Contingents of the armed forces, civil armed forces and police from Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa participated in the ceremony. Police contingents from Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan also took part.
معرکہ حق میں عظیم جیت پر یادگارِ فتح کی تعمیرکی کہانی۔ مسجد نبویﷺ سے مشابہت رکھتے محراب۔ مطافِ کعبہ میں استعمال ہونے والے سنگ مرمر۔ مکمل تفصیل ویڈیو میں pic.twitter.com/I7cXd6sivd
— WE News (@WENewsPk) August 13, 2026
The ceremony was attended by the service chiefs, federal ministers, foreign diplomats, Chairman Senate, Speaker National Assembly and other senior civil and military officials.
A light and sound show was presented as part of the inauguration, with moving images projected onto the monument. Pakistan Air Force fighter jets later conducted a flypast over the monument, deploying flares across the night sky.
Also Read: Pakistan Marks 79th Independence Day With National Zeal And Fervour
The monument commemorates Pakistan’s victory during the May 2025 conflict with India.
India launched attacks on Pakistan on May 6-7, 2025, following allegations linking Pakistan to an attack in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir. Pakistan responded with military strikes of its own and shoot down several Indian fighter planes.
عظیم قوم، عظیم فتح، عظیم جشن۔ جشن آزادی پر یادگارِ فتح پر تاریخی آتش بازی
پاکستان ہمیشہ زندہ باد pic.twitter.com/CywTMjwE7f
— WE News (@WENewsPk) August 13, 2026
The marble monument was completed in eight months. It features five archways, representing the five pillars of Islam as well as what the organisers described as five pillars of Pakistan — the government, military, media, people and the ideology underpinning the country.
The structure also incorporates symbolism representing the three armed services — the Army, Air Force and Navy — as well as cyber defence and space warfare.
The light and sound show traced Pakistan’s history and military evolution, culminating in a presentation on Marka-e-Haq.
