Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's televised address to the nation, in which he vowed to avenge "every drop of Pakistani blood" following India's strikes on terrorist camps, has been met with widespread skepticism and online mockery from his own citizens.
Sharif's address, delivered on Wednesday, came after India's precision strikes on alleged terrorist camps in Pakistan on May 7, which reportedly resulted in the deaths and injuries of numerous terrorists without crossing the Line of Control (LoC).
"India will have to pay for today’s strikes… 26 civilians killed, including kids. We will exact revenge for every drop of Pakistani blood," Sharif declared during his address.
His impassioned pledge, however, failed to resonate with many Pakistanis, who took to social media to criticise his perceived lack of confidence and weak demeanor. "PM Shahbaz is looking underconfident and weak it’s not a good look. Just saying," posted a Pakistani X user.
Another citizen mocked the Pakistani Prime Minister's speaking style, writing, "shahbaz uncle pls start speaking in 2x speed and har baat pe speech nahi sunnana hota point pe ao," (Uncle Shahbaz, please start speaking at 2x speed and we don't need a speech on every matter, get to the point).
Adding to the chorus of criticism, another user quipped, "Jitni shehbaz sharif ki bolne ki speed hai is hisab se tou jung khatam bhi ho jayegi aur iski speech khatam nhi hogi," (At the speed Shehbaz Sharif speaks, the war will be over before his speech is finished).
Addressing a session of the Parliament earlier in the day, the Pakistani PM said that the Pakistan Army was ready for an Indian attack, lauding his forces for the "swift response". He claimed that the Pakistan armed forces destroyed five Indian jets. He, however, did not provide any evidence in support of his claim.
In a strong retaliation to the Pahalgam massacre, India's armed forces early Wednesday destroyed nine terror sites including that of Jaish-e-Mohammad and Lashkar-e-Taiba in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) using deep strike missiles in a 25-minute-long "measured and non-escalatory" mission.
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