Independence Day speech or damage control? What Pak PM Shehbaz Sharif said about India and May conflict in his address

File Photo - A resident watches his smartphone as Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif addresses the nation in Islamabad on May 10, 2025.

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif used his Independence Day speech today to launch a provocative anti-India narrative, dubbing the May border clash a “historic victory” and issuing veiled threats of a “decisive response” over the Indus Waters Treaty, further stoking regional tensions.

In his speech laced with provocation and lacking diplomatic nuance, Sharif labelled the May conflict as "Marka-e-Haq" (Battle of Truth) – a remark widely seen as a damage-control attempt after India’s precision strikes between May 7 and 10 dealt severe blows to Pakistan’s terror networks and military infrastructure.

He even went so far as to heap praise on Army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir for what he falsely touted as a self-proclaimed victory, claiming Pakistani forces “stood like a wall” and forced Indian troops to retreat within four days — a narrative widely dismissed as propaganda given the reality on the ground.

Notably, Operation Sindoor was launched on the intervening night of May 6–7 as a direct retaliation for the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack. In a decisive strike, the Indian armed forces targeted multiple terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). While Islamabad initially boasted of a so-called “victory,” high-resolution satellite imagery exposing extensive damage to its terror hubs and military infrastructure left little room for denial, eventually compelling several Pakistani leaders to grudgingly acknowledge the truth.

Sharif echoed Asim Munir’s rhetoric, invoking the two-nation theory — the ideological foundation of Pakistan’s creation — to reiterate his government’s long-held position that Hindus and Muslims are inherently different and cannot coexist within one nation.

“It was not merely a military conquest, but also the victory of the validation of a Two-Nation Theory, which is the foundation of our dear homeland. With same passion, we stand vigilant to defend and safeguard our national interests including water resources,” he said.

By leaning on this decades-old communal narrative, Sharif sought to frame the current hostilities not merely as a border dispute or a response to Operation Sindoor, but as part of an existential and civilizational divide. This revival of the two-nation theory — a concept largely rejected in modern India — underscores Pakistan’s persistent reliance on religious identity politics to justify its confrontational stance towards New Delhi, even 78 years after independence.

Sharif also issued strong warnings regarding the Indus Waters Treaty, stating that any attempt by India to cut off water supplies would result in a "decisive response" from Pakistan.

In the aftermath of the April 22 Pahalgam attack, India took stern steps announcing that it was putting the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan in abeyance, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi stating, “Now, India’s water will flow for India’s benefit, it will be conserved for India’s benefit, and it will be used for India’s progress.”

Despite the confrontational tone of his statements on India, Sharif called for national unity within Pakistan, urging all political parties to join the "Charter of Pakistan’s Stability."